franklin county, north carolina an action-oriented...

Franklin County, North Carolina

An Action-Oriented Community Diagnosis: Findings and Next Steps of Action

May 25, 2007

Jessica Bates, Erica Bourget, Kevin McKenna, Sarah Parvanta, Tania Sarker, Emily Waters

Preceptors: Cynthia Gary and Becky Leonard, Franklin County Health Department

Instructors: Eugenia Eng, DrPH; Kate Shirah, MPH; Jim Amell, PhD; & Dionne Smith, PhD

Completed during 2006-2007 in partial fulfillment of requirements for HBHE 741

Department of Health Behavior and Health Education School of Public Health

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Our team would like to extend its most sincere gratitude to:

The residents and service providers of Franklin County, North Carolina, especially those who were interviewed. Everyone who contributed to the planning and execution of the community forum, especially Jama Stallings and Crystal Smith who secured food and childcare for the event. Frankly Healthy, the School Health Advisory Council, Department of Child Nutrition, Louisburg Senior Center, and the 4-H Program/Cooperative Extension for providing opportunities for us to better understand the community through volunteering and attending meetings. The businesses of Franklin County who contributed to the success of the community forum with their donations. Our preceptors and liaisons to the community, Ms. Cynthia Gary and Mrs. Becky Leonard, and all of the staff of the Franklin County Health Department who were accommodating throughout the process. And our AOCD instructors at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Public Health, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education: Dr. Eugenia Eng, Ms. Kate Shirah, Dr. Jim Amell, Dr. Dionne Smith, Ms. Michele Lanham, and Ms. Erin Stephens.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ……………………………………………….. v

INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………. 1

SECTION I: COMMUNITY PROFILE …………………………............... 2 Geography…………………………………………………..……… 2 History……………………………………………………...……… 3 Demographics……………………………………………………… 3 Economy and Industry……………………………………...……… 4 Education…………………………………………………...……… 5 Health ……………………………………………………………… 6 Services and Resources……………………………………..……… 7 Culture and Recreation……………………………………..……… 8

SECTION II: FINDINGS…………………………………………..……… 9 Community Strengths……………………………………….………10 Overview of Challenges…………………………………….……… 11 Youth Recreation and Entertainment.…………………….... …….. 12 Community Member Perspective………………………....…….. 12 Service Provider Perspective…………………………….............. 13 Team Member Perspective………………………………………. 14 Comparison of Perspectives…………………………….... …….. 14 Economic Development…………………………………................ 14 Community Member Perspective………………………............... 14 Service Provider Perspective…………………………………….. 15 Team Member Perspective……………………………………… 16 Comparison of Perspectives……………………………………… 16 Physical Activity………..………………………………………… 17 Community Member Perspective……………………….............. 17 Service Provider Perspective……………………………………. 18 Team Member Perspective………………………………. …….. 18 Comparison of Perspectives…………………………….... …….. 19 Mental Health……..……………………………………..….…….. 19 Community Member Perspective…………………….………….. 19 Service Provider Perspective………………………….………… 20 Team Member Perspective……………………….....…………… 21 Comparison of Perspectives………………………….………….. 21 Transportation……………………………………………................ 21 Community Member Perspective………………………............... 21 Service Provider Perspective…………………………………….. 22 Team Member Perspective………………………………………. 23 Comparison of Perspectives……………………………………… 23 Summary of Small Group Discussions and Action Steps…………. 24 Youth Recreation and Entertainment……………………………. 24 Economic Development………………………………….. …….. 25 Physical Activity………..………………………………... …….. 26

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Mental Health……………………………………….…............... 27 Transportation…………………………………………………… 27

SECTION III: METHODS……………………………………………….. 27 Defining the Community………………………………………….. 28 Entering the Community…………………………………….…….. 28 Secondary Data Collection………………………………………… 29 Limitations of Secondary Data Collection………………………. 30 Primary Data Collection…………………………………………… 30 Interviews ………………………………………………………. 31 Focus Groups……………………………………………………. 32 Data Transcription, Coding, and Analysis ……………………… 33 Limitations of Primary Data Collection…………………………. 34

Forum Planning……………………………………………………. 35 Community Forum…………………………………………. …….. 37 Limitations of the Forum………………………………………… 37

SECTION IV: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS………… 38 REFERENCES …………………………………………………................. 40 APPENDICES Appendix A: Interview Materials

A.a. Community Member Interview Guide A.b. Service Provider Interview Guide A.c. Community Member Consent Form A.d. Service Provider Consent Form A.e. Focus Group Interview Guide A.f. Focus Group Youth Assent Form A.g. Focus Group Parental Consent Form A.h. Contact Consent Information and Script A.i. Contact Information Form A.j. Demographic Information Form A.k. Interview recruitment and confidentiality procedures

Appendix B: Primary Data Analysis Materials B.a. Interviewee demographic indicators B.b. Code list and definitions B.c. List of themes for FPC B.d. Comprehensive list of themes for forum

Appendix C: Secondary Data Materials C.a. List of key secondary data resources on Franklin County C.b. Map of Franklin County

Appendix D: Community Forum Materials D.a. Donation letter D.b. Flyer D.c. Spanish Flyer D.d. Invitation letter for interviewees D.e. General invitation letter D.f. Forum program D.g. List of community resources

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D.h. Forum Evaluation LIST OF TABLES:

Table 1. 2000 Franklin County Demographics by Township…….. 4 Table 2. 2000 Franklin County Economic Indicators by Township.. 5

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Between October 2006 and April 2007, a team of six students from the School of Public

Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, conducted an Action-Oriented

Community Diagnosis (AOCD) of Franklin County, North Carolina. The purpose of this AOCD

was to learn about the strengths, challenges, and needs of the community, to assist the

community in identifying priorities, and to bring the community together to openly discuss and

work towards action steps that address the identified issues. The AOCD was conducted with the

help of preceptors Cynthia Gary and Becky Leonard at the Franklin County Health Department.

The AOCD process began with the team becoming acquainted with Franklin County by

reviewing available data on the area, attending events, and meeting residents and employees. The

team proceeded to conduct 39 interviews with community members and service providers, as

well as one focus group of six youth. The team analyzed this data and created a list of the 14

issues that were most often mentioned as priorities to the people of Franklin County. Each issue

was summarized in a theme statement that represented the team’s understanding of popular

sentiment.

With the help of a Forum Planning Committee (FPC) that consisted of nine service

providers and community members, the team planned a community forum. The FPC narrowed

the greater list of 14 themes to 5, based on importance and changeability. The themes selected

were:

Youth Recreation and Entertainment: There is a desire for additional public facilities in Franklin County to provide recreation and/or entertainment activities for youth.

Economic Development: There is a need to support new and current businesses in Franklin County to enhance local economy and create new job opportunities.

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Physical Activity: A lack of physical activity options is contributing to increasing rates of obesity in Franklin County. Mental Health: There is an impression that the needs of people with mental health concerns are not being met, either because of a lack of services, lack of awareness of services available, or stigma attached to seeking help for mental health. Transportation: There is a need for inexpensive transportation options to increase access to services and resources for some residents of Franklin County.

The community forum took place on April 24, 2007. At the forum, small group discussions led

to the creation of action steps for four of the five themes (the discussion on transportation was

dissolved for lack of attendees). Forum attendees then volunteered to oversee the execution of

each action step, listed below.

Youth Recreation and Entertainment: • Talk to the board of the Boys & Girls Club about hosting fundraising events for youth

participation in recreation. • Talk to county political leaders about funding/tax allocation for more recreation facilities

and options for youth. • Talk to the Franklin County Schools superintendent about a sports uniform recycling

program. • Contact church leaders about scholarships for youth participation in recreation

activities. • Communicate with 4-H, Parks and Recreation, and The Franklin Times about the need to

increase recreation facilities and activity options in Franklin County. Ask for support from these organizations in creating new options and increasing county-wide communication about recreation and entertainment options for youth.

Economic Development:

• Establish a study committee to look at educational opportunities that match current local job opportunities.

• Support the application for the 21st Century grant for Franklin County Schools. • Encourage continued support for economic development by increasing awareness of

activities and initiatives among community members and county commissioners. • Build collaboration between agencies (such as the Health Department, Planning, etc.) to

work on a one-stop permitting process. Physical Activity:

• Talk to The Franklin Times about publishing a regular health column written by representatives of community organizations.

• Encourage physical activity competitions among various places of employment, community groups, schools, and other organizations in the county.

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Mental Health:

• Plan a meeting to organize the formation of a mental health advocacy group that will work to increase the number of mental health providers in Franklin County through recruitment and education.

The team hopes that the engagement and motivation displayed by the people of Franklin

County at the forum will result in continuing momentum to meet and build upon these action

steps.* In addition, the team would like to make the following recommendations as actions that

may help build upon the county’s strengths while addressing some of its needs:

• Expand inter-agency communication. Many service providers were not aware of other programs and resources in the county. One positive step in this direction is an inter-agency lunch that takes place the last Wednesday of each month.

• Provide additional activity options for youth other than sports. Involve youth in the

planning of facilities or programs that affect youth.

• Continue to support economic growth and increased job opportunities while respecting the pace and tranquility that residents appreciate.

• Begin to recognize and address nutrition as a contributor to obesity. • Improve communication between decision-makers and the community, to better inform

leaders of the county’s needs and the public of the activities and decisions made by their government.

• Conduct greater in-depth analysis of the needs and implications of the growing Latino

population. Work towards greater service provision in Spanish. The purpose of this document is to serve as a resource to Franklin County by describing

the Franklin County AOCD process, discussing the findings, and presenting the next steps of

action developed by the Franklin County community.

* Anyone interested in assisting with the execution of these action steps should contact Cynthia Gary, Lead Health Educator at the Franklin County Health Department.. Ms. Gary can be reached by email at [email protected] or by telephone at (919) 496-2533 ext. 2372.

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mailto:[email protected]

INTRODUCTION

In the fall of 2006, six students from the School of Public Health at the University of

North Carolina at Chapel Hill commenced an Action-Oriented Community Diagnosis (AOCD)

of Franklin County, North Carolina. The purpose of this AOCD was to learn about the strengths,

challenges, and needs of the community, to assist the community in identifying priorities, and to

bring the community together to discuss and work towards action steps that address the identified

issues. The student team was led by two preceptors at the Franklin County Health Department,

Cynthia Gary and Becky Leonard, who served as liaisons to the people of Franklin County and

helped facilitate the team’s efforts to gain entrée, or become known and trusted by members of

the community.

The AOCD process involves collecting and analyzing multiple perspectives in order to

understand the strengths and needs of a community1. The Franklin County AOCD team achieved

this by using three types of data. Initially, we gathered and reviewed secondary data about the

county from existing sources, such as the U.S. Census and local government websites. We also

created field notes by recording our observations from attending community meetings and

events. Later in the process we collected primary data through key informant interviews with

community members (residents of Franklin County) and service providers (employees of

agencies that serve residents of Franklin County). In doing so, we sought perspectives from

people of various ages, races, and geographic locales, aiming to reflect the demographics of the

county. We conducted a total of 39 individual interviews, and spoke with six youth in a focus

group. After analyzing the interview data, we presented a summary of our findings to the

community in a forum held on April 24, 2007 in Louisburg, North Carolina. Attendees discussed

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the findings in small groups, developed action steps to address the most pressing needs of the

community, and volunteered to oversee the execution of these steps.

The organization of this document is intended to serve the community. We begin by

describing Franklin County based on secondary data sources. We then present the key findings

from our analysis of primary data (interviews, focus groups, and field notes). In order to

distinguish different views of the issues prioritized in Franklin County, the analysis of three

perspectives (those of community members, service providers, and team members) are presented

separately. This is followed by summaries of the small discussion groups that led to the creation

of the action steps for each of the prioritized issues. We then describe our methodology, detailing

how data were collected and analyzed, and how this led to the culminating community forum.

We also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of our methods and process. Finally, we present

conclusions, including recommendations from the student team.

SECTION I: COMMUNITY PROFILE

The following sections provide an introduction to Franklin County based on secondary

data. For a list of key resources used for this profile, see Appendix C.

Geography

Franklin County is located in the northeastern Piedmont region of North Carolina. It is

bordered on the north by Granville, Vance and Warren Counties, on the east by Nash County,

and on the south by Wake County. The land area is 492 square miles2. The population density is

96.1 per square mile, as compared to 165.2 per square mile for the state overall2.

Franklin County is made up of five municipalities (listed here in order of decreasing

population size): Louisburg (the county seat), Franklinton, Youngsville, Bunn, and Centerville

(see Appendix C for a regional map). Lake Royale, a gated community/private resort located to

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the east of Bunn, is another population center in the county, but not an official municipality.

Other townships include Cedar Rock, Cypress Creek, Gold Mine, Harris, Hayesville, and Sandy

Creek. Franklin is primarily a rural county, with most residents (87.4%) living outside of the five

major townships3. Major highways in Franklin County include U.S. 401 and U.S. 1, which run

north and south, connecting Franklinton and Louisburg to the larger metropolitan areas of Wake

Forest and Raleigh.

History

When Europeans first came to settle in present-day Franklin County in the 1740s, there

were two Native American tribes in the area: the Shoccore Indians and the more-itinerant

Tuscarora Indians, who were known to travel in the area4. After a series of land subdivisions, the

county was officially formed in 1779 when the North Carolina General Assembly voted to divide

Bute County (which had previously been part of Granville County), into Franklin and Warren

counties. The name of the county was given in honor of Benjamin Franklin5-8.

Demographics

The 2005 population of Franklin County was estimated at 54,429, an increase of 15.2%

from the population reported in the 2000 Census9. An annual growth rate of 2.2% (as compared

to the state’s 0.8%) made Franklin the ninth fastest-growing county in North Carolina in 200510.

Much of the growth has resulted from an influx of residents from nearby metropolitan areas. Of

the over 10,000 people who moved into Franklin County between 1995 and 2000, over a third

(34.7%) came from Wake County11. Growth has been concentrated in the southwestern part of

the county6.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Whites in Franklin County make up the majority of

the population (70.7%), followed by African Americans (27.9%)9. Latinos were estimated to

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comprise 6.6% of the population in 2005, up from 4.4% in 20003, 9. Latinos are the fastest

growing of all racial or ethnic groups in the County. The number of Latinos in Franklin County

grew from 330 in 1980 to 2100 in 2000–an increase of over 500%12.

The age distribution of residents of Franklin County in 2005 was as follows: 24% under

age 18, 65% aged 19-64, and 11% aged 65 or older9. Data from the 2000 Census show that the

age and racial/ethnic profiles of Franklin County residents varies by township3, as shown in

Table 1. In general, the southern townships tend to be younger than those in the northern part of

the county.

Table 1. 2000 Franklin County Demographics by Township3.

County Overall

Louisburg Franklinton Youngsville Bunn Centerville

Total population 47260 3111 1745 651 357 99 % of county population - 6.6% 3.7% 1.3% <1% <1% Median age 35.8 39.7 36.8 35.8 40.2 44.8 % Over Age 65 11.0% 24.1% 17.2% 12.6% 15.1% 23.2%% % White 66% 50.8%

57.1%

71.0%

63.9%

92.9%

% Black or African American 30% 46.7% 40.9% 25.2% 30.0% 7.1% % Other Races* 4% 2.5% 2% 3.8% 6.1% 0% % Hispanic or Latino (any race) 4.4 3.0% 2.0% 3.1% 3.1% 0.0% *This combines all other race categories used by the Census: American Indian and Alaskan Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and Other Race. Economy and Industry

In 2005, while Franklin County had a lower unemployment rate (4.6%) than the state

overall (5.2%), average earnings of employed residents were lower9. The per capita income in

the County was $25,191 compared to $29,322 for the rest of the state9. As with other

demographic characteristics, Census 2000 data indicate that income levels vary within the county

by township3. As is shown in Table 2, Youngsville has the highest median earnings and lowest

poverty rate in the county.

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Table 2. 2000 Franklin County Economic Indicators by Township3.

Median Family Income

Median Personal Income

Families below poverty level

Louisburg 41,563 17,918 15.2% Franklinton 34,412 14,373 14.8% Youngsville 46,750 19,683 2.2% Bunn 45,804 13,711 8.4% Centerville 31,250 16,849 10.0%

County Overall 44,540 17,562 10.0%

State of N.C. 46,335 20,307 9.0%

In 2004, 25.3% of the people in Franklin County worked in professional occupations,

23.7% in sales, 20.7% in production, 15.9% in construction and maintenance, 13% in service

occupations, and 0.8% in farming, fishing and forestry13. Government positions accounted for

20.9% of jobs, and private industry for 79.1%14.

Local industries include wood products, enzymes, telecommunications, software

development, and plastics recycling5. In manufacturing, the largest employer is Flextronics

International in Youngsville, followed by Novozymes in Franklinton. The top non-manufacturing

employer (and largest employer overall) in the county is Franklin County Schools14. According

to the 2000 Census data, almost 65% of Franklin County residents travel outside of the county

for work3.

Although the number of farms in Franklin County has declined over the past 20 years,

from 666 to 574, agriculture continues to play an important role in the county’s economy15. Most

farms in the county (94.4%) are family-owned15. Top crops based on total acreage include

soybeans, hay, wheat and tobacco15.

Education

Franklin County is home to Louisburg College, which was founded in 1787, making it

the oldest junior college in the United States7. Also in the County is a satellite campus of Vance-

Granville Community College, opened in 1998.

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The public school system of Franklin County includes eight elementary schools, three

middle schools, and three high schools. Enrollment in the 2006-07 school year was 8,247

students and, as does the population of the county, continues to grow each year16.

In 2000, 73.6% of Franklin County residents (over the age of 18) had high school

diplomas, and 13.2% had bachelor’s degrees or higher. State averages for the same year were

78.1% with high school diplomas and 22.5% with bachelor’s degrees14. The dropout rate in

Franklin County is 6.1%, as compared to 4.8% in the whole of North Carolina13.

Health

Franklin Regional Medical Center (FRMC), the largest healthcare facility and only

hospital in Franklin County, is located in Louisburg. FRMC is an 85-bed acute care

medical/surgical hospital that was built in 1951 by the county, and is currently owned by Health

Management Associates17. In February 2007, FRMC announced plans to relocate from

Louisburg to the southern part of the county. The certificate of need application filed by FRMC

cited lack of space at its current location of eight acres and financial hardships associated with

maintaining an older building as reasons for the move18.

The Franklin County Health Department, also located in Louisburg, is another important

medical provider in the county. Services include maternal and child health, women’s health,

dental health, immunizations, communicable disease, home health, and an STD clinic. The

Health Department also leads Frankly Healthy, a program of North Carolina’s 2010 Health

Objectives named Healthy Carolinians. Frankly Healthy is a community partnership whose

initiatives include ongoing health promotion programs at churches, worksites and other

community-based organizations, as well as coordinating events, such as health expos, throughout

the year.

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The “State of the County Health Report,” published by the Health Department in

December 2006, established four major health priorities for Franklin County: overweight and

obesity, chronic disease, youth health, and access to care19. Following are data demonstrating the

importance of these priorities.

Results from the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) indicate that

Franklin, along with Nash and Wilson counties, has the highest rate of overweight and obesity in

North Carolina. 73.8% of adults in the three county area are overweight or obese, while the state

average is 62.9%19, 20. The same survey found that most residents of Franklin County are not

meeting current recommendations for daily physical activity or nutrition; only 39% are engaging

in moderate activity for 30 or more minutes per day, at least five days per week, and only 18%

are eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day19.

Chronic disease is also an important problem in Franklin County. Heart disease and

cancer are the leading causes of death in the county, accounting for almost 50% of all deaths21.

Diabetes, another obesity-related chronic disease that is one of the top ten causes of death in

Franklin County, is on the rise21.

In terms of health care access, 17% of Franklin County residents have inadequate health

insurance coverage21. The Franklin County Volunteers in Medicine Free Clinic in Louisburg is a

resource for the uninsured, primarily serving patients with chronic illness. The clinic operates a

few nights per month by appointment only. Walk-ins are not accepted due to the high number of

appointments already scheduled.

Services and Resources

Most county-based services in Franklin County are located in the county seat, Louisburg.

They include North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Franklin County Health Department,

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Franklin County Social Services, Franklin County Department of Aging (with senior centers in

Louisburg and Franklinton), Franklin County Library, Franklin County Emergency Services and

Franklin County Parks and Recreation22.

Other non-profit organizations and agencies that provide services to residents of Franklin

County include: Safe Space, Inc. (services for victims of domestic violence), Jessica’s Hope

Chest (services and resources for critically ill children and their families), United Way, and the

Volunteers in Medicine Clinic (described previously).

As with most rural counties in North Carolina, Franklin County does not have its own

public transportation system. The Kerr Area Rural Transit System (KARTS) is a fee-based

passenger van service, run out of Vance County, which also serves Franklin County. The service

operates on weekdays on an appointment-based schedule23.

Culture and Recreation

The Franklin County Arts Council is active in sponsoring cultural events in the county,

such as the annual International Whistlers Convention. Louisburg College also plays a central

role in the cultural life of the county, through its annual concert series, theater productions, and

art exhibits7. Annual festivals in the county include the Tar River Festival and the Independence

Day celebration, as well as a number of local festivals in individual municipalities.

The Franklin County Parks and Recreation Department maintains two public parks in the

county (Franklinton and Moose Lodge), and organizes sports teams for both youth and adults.

Locally-run sports leagues provide additional options for youth in Youngsville, Franklinton and

Bunn. The senior centers in Louisburg and Franklinton offer several organized recreation

opportunities for seniors. Additionally, the Louisburg Senior Center provides access to its fitness

equipment for all adults in the county. In 2005, a bike path was paved along N.C. 39, offering a

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new recreation option for county residents. Most other recreational opportunities in the county

are privately-run, including two fitness facilities (one in Louisburg and Franklinton), and several

golf courses and country clubs.

Apart from sports leagues, recreational opportunities for youth include the newly-opened

Boys & Girls Club, located in Louisburg. The 4-H program, run through the Franklin County

Cooperative Extension office, also has an active presence in the community, and offers a wide

range of programming, including clubs, special interest programs, summer camps, school

enrichment and after-school child care.

Churches play a central role in culture and recreation in Franklin County. With over 100

churches in the county, church-sponsored events occur almost daily and are announced in a

special section of The Franklin Times.

SECTION II: FINDINGS

Following are findings based upon analysis of interviews with 39 community members

and service providers and one focus group of six youth. As an integral part of the AOCD

process, the purpose of the interviews and focus groups was to identify strengths, challenges, and

needs of Franklin County, with the ultimate goals of assisting the community in identifying

priorities and bringing people together to work towards action steps around these priorities. We

first present an overview of the overarching strengths and challenges identified through the

interviews. Then, we introduce five themes, or summary statements that represent popular

sentiments about issues facing Franklin County. These were selected from a longer list of 14

themes (see Appendix B) as the five most important and/or changeable priorities to be discussed

at the community forum. For each theme, we present separately the perspectives of community

members, service providers, and the student team. Finally, we describe how discussions at the

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community forum led to the development of action steps for four of five themes. (Details on

methods used to collect and analyze interview data and prioritize themes are provided in Section

III).

Community Strengths

The rapid residential growth occurring in Franklin County demonstrates what residents

stated: that it is a desirable place to live. Newcomers and lifelong residents of Franklin County

alike appreciate its slow pace and placidity while valuing its proximity to the Raleigh

metropolitan area. They enjoy living in a close-knit community where people are friendly and

know one another, and describe Franklin County as a traditional rural southern community.

Many long-time residents expressed hope that these elements of the county’s identity will be

maintained as the county continues to grow. Despite these sentiments, many residents view the

new energy and ideas that have accompanied the population growth as beneficial to the county.

Another positive aspect of Franklin County is the supportive nature of the residents.

Team members heard and observed that community members take care of one another. In

evidence of this are the county’s volunteer fire and rescue squads. Many people also mentioned

fundraising events, such as the annual Relay for Life, which bring together community members

from all over the county to support a cause. The faith community also plays a key role in

building community and bringing residents together. Churches serve many important functions

from leading active youth groups to promoting charity and volunteerism.

Finally, there is a clear spirit of collaboration among community organizations and

agencies. A recent success is the opening of the Boys & Girls Club in Louisburg, a service that

meets an identified need in the community. This project demonstrates the ability of Franklin

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County community organizations to work together to achieve collective goals. It also shows the

community’s commitment to the youth of Franklin County.

Overview of Challenges

In addition to the many strengths of Franklin County that surfaced during interviews,

interviewees also brought up a number of challenges. While many people spoke of positive

aspects of Franklin County’s recent population growth, there was also acknowledgment of the

challenges that have come along with it, such as crowded schools. Additionally, the fact that the

growth has been concentrated in the southern part of the county seems to be fostering a chasm;

interviewees spoke repeatedly of the divide between the older, more rural and agricultural

northern part of the county, and the affluent, quickly-developing bedroom communities of the

southern region. In addition to implications this has for the character of the county, the north-

south divide raises other important issues, such as where county resources should be located and

how money should be spent. One example of this is the planned move of Franklin County

Regional Hospital from Louisburg to the southern part of the county, referenced earlier in the

secondary data section. While many people recognize that the hospital is a for-profit business

and is in need of renovation and expansion, those in the northern part of the county are worried

that the move will cause other resources, such as private practice health specialists, to leave

along with the hospital.

Finally, while residents appreciate the rural feel of Franklin County, they also feel the

burden of having fewer resources than more populous counties, such as jobs, shopping options,

recreation facilities, and public transportation.

Analysis of interviews and focus groups allowed the team to develop a list of 14 theme

statements that reflect the challenges deemed most important by interviewees (see Appendix B).

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With input from the forum planning committee, the list was then narrowed down to the following

five topics for discussion at the community forum: Youth Recreation and Entertainment,

Economic Development, Physical Activity, Mental Health, and Transportation. Following is an

analysis of community member, service provider, and team perspectives on the themes related to

these five topics.

Youth Recreation and Entertainment

There is a desire for additional public facilities in Franklin County to provide recreation and/or entertainment activities for youth.

Community Member Perspective

"We need a place for these kids to hang out and not get in trouble. You can’t expect the kids to sit on couches at home in front of their moms and dads…we need safe places.”

Many community members cited the need for additional recreation and entertainment

facilities for youth, such as a public swimming pool, movie theaters, and a teen center, to add

positive elements to the lives of youth. Some pointed to The Factory, a youth entertainment

center in Wake County, as a successful example of such a facility. One community member

noted that while there are plenty of athletics available in Franklin County, there are fewer options

for youth to participate in arts and academically-oriented activities. Other community members

lamented the high costs associated with the existing recreation options in the county, including

memberships for country clubs, golf courses, and private pools, and the costs of team uniforms,

league fees, and equipment required to participate in organized sports.

The need for recreation and entertainment facilities was one of the top priorities

expressed during the focus group with youth. One youth said:

When you don’t have nothing, no place to hang out, people, [youth] are going to decide to do something. They’re going to either walk the street, have friends that are bad influences, or just stay at home, and most people will never choose to stay home on the weekends. That’s just crazy.

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Youth want more places to go for social interaction besides parties where drinking and drugs are

involved. They were disappointed with the many rules that are strictly enforced at school and

community-organized dances, which preclude many youth from attending or enjoying these

activities. They want more opportunities to talk to adult leaders in the community about

organizing activities and space for youth entertainment, such as a teen center, with less-strict

rules, but adequate security to prevent violence or gang activities from taking place in or around

these areas. Youth also felt that more activities that bring different townships and races together

would have a positive effect on the county’s youth dynamics.

Service Provider Perspective

“They started the Boys & Girls Club just a month ago, but before that there was no activity. No place for teens to meet. They sit out in parking lots in their cars.”

Service providers held many of the same views as community members regarding the

need for more choices of recreational activities and facilities for youth. A teen center was

suggested as a possible way to get teenagers in Franklin County to be more active and occupied.

Other suggestions included additional Boys & Girls Club locations and promoting activities for

teenagers at the Boys & Girls Club. Bowling alleys and swimming pools were other ideas. There

was a feeling among some service providers, however, that spending public funds on recreation

facilities might appear frivolous to residents of the county.

Service providers noted that an increase in recreational activities might help increase

exercise and improve the health of youth in Franklin County. Entertainment was tied to health in

other ways, such as the need for teens to have something constructive to do rather than

experimenting with drugs or sex.

13

Team Member Perspective

On several occasions, the team observed teens unoccupied in the after-school hours.

During one visit, teens were gathered at the public library, socializing, working on homework,

and using the computers. This suggested that some teens would enjoy and make constructive use

of a designated gathering place for these types of activities. The need to leave the county for

some recreational activities was also apparent, as was the possible transportation barrier to doing

so.

Comparison of Perspectives

Service providers and community members agree that there is a need for more recreation

and entertainment facilities for youth in Franklin County. Such facilities would increase options

for positive social interaction among youth. They also agree that safety and security should be

considered but not prohibitive.

Economic Development There is a need to support new and current businesses in Franklin County to enhance local economy and create new job opportunities. Community Member Perspective “We need jobs here in Franklin County. Most working people leave the county every morning and primarily go to Wake County, Rocky Mount, Durham County, Nash, Vance, or Henderson to work. See, way back we were primarily agricultural; tobacco would pay the bills. They cut down the mills. That was a major place for people to work…Not having the jobs but having the growth is a real problem.”

A number of Franklin County residents expressed concern about economic development

and discussed the creation of jobs as a high priority. A majority of community members stated

the lack of well-paying jobs in the county is forcing residents to travel to Raleigh, Durham, and

Rocky Mount for employment. Residents also expressed a desire for more options for goods and

services within the county.

14

On the other hand, some residents expressed concern that growth in the area would

change the rural identity of the county. As mentioned, even without new jobs and industry in the

area, residential growth has affected the character of the county. Achieving a balance of

character and growth was of priority to many community members.

Service Provider Perspective “There is a big need for increasing industry that’s going to come in and not only hire people that are here but also to pay taxes, industry-level taxes… that’s how you build new schools and that’s how you build new recreational facilities.”

Service providers were aware of Franklin County’s status as one of the fastest-growing

counties in the state, and cited the need for new industry to match the influx of new residents.

They observed that population growth puts a strain on county resources and creates the need for

new infrastructure, such as schools, health facilities, public works, and police and fire

departments. Industry-level taxes are needed to supplement taxes collected from residents, to

help support the new infrastructure. It was noted, however, that without first developing the

infrastructure, luring new businesses would be difficult:

The industry is going to go somewhere else. Who wants to move employees to a town without a hospital? Who wants to move employees to a town where schools aren’t built? So it all ties together.

In addition to needing industry to pay taxes, service providers talked about the need for

competitive jobs to keep residents employed within the community. Some noted that when

residents work outside the county, they do their shopping there as well, further draining the

county of potential tax revenue.

Many service providers also spoke of current activities that support economic growth in

Franklin County, such as the Committee of 100, a fundraising initiative, and the Kerr-Tarr

Regional Hub Project, an innovative tax-sharing initiative.

15


In contrast to more rural townships, such as Centerville and Bunn, the team observed an

abundance of new housing and commercial developments around Youngsville, where most of

the County’s population growth is occurring. While the Youngsville Industrial Park appeared to

have a number of thriving industries, the team observed several abandoned older commercial

buildings and factories in other parts of the county, especially around Franklinton and Louisburg.

These observations suggested to the team that the county’s economy is transitioning, with

agriculture being displaced by technology and biotech industries, and Youngsville taking over

from Louisburg as the economic center of the county. Additionally, while traveling to and from

Franklin County, the team witnessed the heavy morning and evening traffic along Interstate 540

and U.S. Highways 1 and 401 between Louisburg and Raleigh – evidence of the large number of

residents that leave the county each day for work.


Though some community members expressed concern over economic growth changing

the character of the county, there was agreement among community members and service

providers that creating new jobs and expanding industry in Franklin County is a high priority.

Additionally, service providers stressed the need for proactive planning for the development of

infrastructure and generating revenue from taxes. Both community members and service

providers agree this is a topic that needs to be addressed as it affects everyone in the county.

16

Physical Activity A lack of physical activity options is contributing to increasing rates of obesity in Franklin County. Community Member Perspective “Like Americans, we’re obese and not exercising enough. [We’re] working hard, but that’s not the same thing as exercising. That’s a problem.”

A lack of options for physical activity and recreation was one of the challenges most

commonly identified by residents of Franklin County. Community members acknowledged some

of the existing options, such as private gyms, golf courses, and pools, but added that few of these

options were convenient or affordable. Bike trails, walking trails, recreational sports, and school-

sponsored sporting activities were cited as existing options, in which more people in the county

could participate. While some community members felt that there were plenty of organized

sports for youth, others wished to see greater variety. Multiple community members noted that

there was no public swimming pool in the county. Other comments reflected the lack of other

facilities such as skating rinks and bowling alleys, and needing to travel outside of the county for

these types of activities.

In addition to the lack of options and facilities for physical activity, community members

also discussed barriers related to culture and convenience. Physical inactivity among youth was

attributed to an increase in indoor activities, including video games, television, and computers.

For adults, time was seen as a major constraint to participating in physical activity, especially for

individuals working outside of the county.

While community members were less likely than service providers to discuss it, those

who were aware of the county’s high rates of obesity viewed the lack of physical activity options

(in addition to diet and nutrition) as a contributing factor.

17


“Healthcare isn’t necessarily going to the doctor’s clinic…it’s diet and exercise and those things that are causing the real problems.”

Most service providers interviewed recognized obesity as a problem for both adults and

youth in Franklin County, and were aware of the county’s recent ranking (along with Vance and

Warren counties) as the most obese in the State. Many service providers also acknowledged a

lack of physical activity options for residents, and some pointed to this as a cause of obesity in

the county.

Service providers cited many factors that keep Franklin County residents from engaging

in regular physical activity. Issues such as convenience, finances, time constraints, cultural

factors, lack of interest, and lack of awareness were mentioned on several occasions. Some

service providers also mentioned that physical activity was not emphasized enough in schools or

the home environment. One service provider revealed that children were not required to pass

physical education classes in order to graduate. Other service providers mentioned that due to the

rural nature of the county and the lower average income as compared to neighboring counties,

there is a shortage of venues to recreate and exercise.


While the team noticed baseball fields, basketball courts, and a skate park, we noted that

there were few private fitness centers in the county. The team also observed the paved bike path

on the outskirts of Louisburg. Although our time in the community was limited, the team never

saw anyone using it. On several occasions, however, the team did observe people walking for

exercise in the downtown area of Louisburg, suggesting that some residents were actively

seeking opportunities for physical activity.

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The team also noted that several organizations within the county are actively trying to

promote physical activity. For example, when the Louisburg Senior Center hosted a diabetes

expo, exercise instruction was part of the program for the event. The team also attended a Girl

Scouts event, at which the 4-H staff were conducting a class on the importance of physical

activity and nutrition. At a meeting of the School Health Advisory Council, the group discussed

ongoing activities in the school system intended to increase physical activity among youth.


There was agreement among community members and service providers that the options

for physical activity in Franklin County are limited, and that more services and facilities are

needed. Service providers, in particular, noted a number of other barriers to physical activity in

the county, including cultural factors and a lack of awareness. While service providers seemed to

be more concerned with obesity than most of the community members interviewed, there was

general agreement that a lack of physical activity among residents is contributing to the obesity

rates in the county.

Mental Health There is an impression that the needs of people with mental health concerns are not being met, either because of a lack of services, lack of awareness of services available, or stigma attached to seeking help for mental health. Community Member Perspective “[I’m] not sure of the reason for mental health underutilization... I don’t sense a system of care - community care - and this is a population that needs it.”

Several community members felt that mental health was the biggest priority among

health issues in the county. Among those who mentioned mental health as a concern, there was

an impression that many residents who need of mental health services are not currently receiving

them. Some community members felt that while physical health was being addressed, mental

19

health cases were “falling through the cracks,” especially for people who did not quality for

disability or Medicaid. Community members also noted the lack of outpatient facilities and the

embarrassment of seeking services – especially in a small town where anonymity is difficult – as

potential causes. There was an impression that the services at the schools could be improved for

youth. Lastly, a need for greater public awareness about mental health issues was identified.

Some community members noted that the problem was more visible in more urban areas,

such as Raleigh, which experience a greater level of homelessness. One community member was

concerned that in Franklin County, persons with more severe mental illness were being housed in

prison and still not receiving the services they needed.


Service providers noted the recent decentralization of mental health services in the

county. While there used to be a central Franklin County facility, all cases are now routed

through the Five County Mental Health Authority 24-hour hotline. Some service providers

thought that the underutilization of mental health services was indicative of a national problem,

and that it was even more difficult to get specialized services to rural counties, such as Franklin.

They noted a lack of mental health service providers in the area and even fewer who spoke

Spanish. Transportation to appointments was identified as a barrier. Several service providers

mentioned a need for better mental health services for youth, in particular, and for better

prevention services.

Aiding the situation, many providers felt there was a commitment among service

providers in the community to helping people get the mental health services they need, and Rep.

Lucy Allen was commended for her advocacy on this issue. A NAMI (National Alliance on

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Mental Illness) group had recently formed in Franklin County, and some support groups for

substance abuse are ongoing.


Early in the process, the team observed an annex next to the Health Department and

Social Service office, labeled, “Mental Health.” This led the team to believe that services were

being provided by a county office. The team later learned, however, that this facility was not for

walk-ins, and was not run by the county. In a review of a North Carolina provider directory, the

team found few mental health providers in the county, and no private practice psychiatrists. The

team did not, however, observe visible impacts of mental illness, such as homelessness.


There was agreement among community members and service providers that too many

people are not receiving the mental health care that they should be. The perspectives are quite

similar in noting the lack of providers for mental health, especially outpatient services, and that

stigma or embarrassment may also be contributing factors. Lastly, there was consensus that

youth needed better services to identify and receive care for mental health concerns.

Transportation

There is a need for inexpensive transportation options to increase access to services and resources for some residents of Franklin County. Community Member Perspective

Although service providers were nearly unanimous in citing transportation as a major

need in Franklin County, the issue was not often raised among community members interviewed.

More often, community members spoke about transportation in the context of having to travel

outside of the county for entertainment, shopping, and certain services, such as appointments

with medical specialists. For these community members, with access to personal vehicles, traffic

21

on highways entering and leaving the county (such as on U.S. 401 and N.C. 96) seemed to be of

greater concern than lack of transportation options.

One community member, who did acknowledge transportation as a barrier in the county,

noted that for some residents without access to personal vehicles, social networks (such as

churches) can help meet transportation needs:

A lot of people don’t have transportation to go to the doctor…if you’re a part of a church, most of the time there’s somebody in that church who will help you get to the doctor…but there’s a lot of people who are home-bound, so we forget about them.


“One thing that could make a huge impact, and you really don’t hear people talking about, is public transportation—we don’t have public transportation. If you live in outlying parts of the county, how much of your income does it take…to get your basic needs filled?”

Most service providers interviewed named transportation as the primary barrier to

accessing their services, such as after-school activities and health care. Examples of this included

children from townships other than Louisburg not being able to take advantage of the new Boys

& Girls Club, and older residents of the county not being able to get to doctor’s appointments

once they could no longer drive.

It was noted that several county offices, such as the Health Department and the

Franklinton and Louisburg Senior Centers, contract with the fee-based KARTS vanpool to

provide vouchers for clients to get to appointments. However, their ability to provide vouchers is

limited by their funding. It was also stated that the need to request service a day in advance,

along with other scheduling constraints, makes KARTS less useful in some situations.

Furthermore, since most agencies and businesses in the county do not provide vouchers, the out-

of-pocket expense was also seen as a barrier to Franklin County residents using the KARTS

service.

22

One service provider observed that the lack of transportation is not only a barrier to

accessing services, it prevents some residents from obtaining jobs in other parts of the county or

outside of the county. Thus, the lack of transportation compounds concerns related to the lack of

employment opportunities within the county.


It was immediately evident to the team that personal vehicles and school buses were the

primary forms of transportation in the county. Although KARTS was mentioned by several

service providers as an option for getting around, the team spotted their vehicles only a few times

during our work in the county. The team observed that in nearly all parts of the county, accessing

services such as grocery stores and pharmacies would be impossible without a car. The team also

reviewed the 2006 AOCD of people with disabilities and their families in Franklin County, in

which transportation emerged as a prominent theme23. Finally, in searching for secondary data

on the topic, it was evident that there was no centralized resource, such as a transportation

committee, working to increase access to transportation in the county.


The lack of transportation options in Franklin County was more seen as a greater problem

by service providers than by community members. This may have been because the community

members interviewed had not personally experienced lack of transportation as a barrier, whereas

service providers reported hearing of clients missing appointments because they had no way to

get there. Thus, the discrepancy may reflect the fact that the community member interviewees

were not representative of some of the harder-to-reach sub-populations within the county, such

as individuals with low incomes (see Limitations of Primary Data Collection, below), for whom

transportation may be a much greater need.

23

Summary of Small Group Discussions and Action Steps

The five themes described above were presented for discussion at a Community Forum

held on April 24, 2007. Forum attendees were invited to attend a small group session on any of

the five themes. Since only one attendee initially chose to discuss the transportation theme, that

session was disbanded, and only four small group discussions took place. Each group was

facilitated using a technique called Force Field Analysis. Using this technique, each group

facilitator (a member of the student team) sought agreement on a goal related to the theme, then

asked participants to brainstorm factors that both hinder and help attainment of the goal.

Participants then prioritized the responses by their perceived importance and changeability, and

action steps were identified.

Youth Recreation and Entertainment

During the forum, six community members, all of whom also provide services in the

county, chose to talk about recreation and entertainment facilities for youth in Franklin County.

In addition to the need for new recreation and entertainment options, the discussion centered on

making current options more available by reducing or subsidizing participation costs, and by

changing age, height, and weight restrictions to participate in recreational sports. Participants

also expressed a need to increase communication throughout the county about youth recreation

and entertainment needs, to garner support for new and improved facilities and to increase

participation in currently available options. Finally, the group emphasized the need to provide

more transportation to and from recreation facilities to defray the travel time and gasoline costs

for parents. The group decided on the following action steps:

1. Talk to the board of the Boys & Girls Club about hosting fundraising events for youth participation in recreation.

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2. Talk to Rep. Lucy Allen and Sen. Doug Berger, as well as county commissioners and other leaders, about the need to allocate tax dollars for more recreation facilities and options for youth.

3. Talk to Superintendent Bert L’Homme about a sports uniform recycling program.

4. Contact church leaders about scholarships for youth participation in recreation activities.

5. Communicate with 4-H, Parks and Recreation, and The Franklin Times about the need to increase recreation facilities and activity options in Franklin County. Ask for support from these organizations in creating new options and increasing county-wide communication about recreation and entertainment options for youth.

Economic Development

The small group discussion of economic development was attended by eight participants,

including service providers from Franklin County Schools, the Franklin County Health

Department, a member of the Economic Development Commission, and a county

commissioner. The group discussion revolved around the goal of increasing job opportunities in

Franklin County. After listing and prioritizing factors that both help and hinder this goal, the

group decided to focus on two factors in particular: the movement in Franklin County Schools

toward education linked to current available jobs, and the expansion of current business and the

recruitment of new businesses. The following action steps were generated:

1. Establish a study committee to look at educational opportunities that match current local job opportunities.

2. Support applying for the 21st Century grant for Franklin County Schools.

3. Encourage continued support for economic development by increasing awareness of activities and initiatives among community members and county commissioners.

4. Build collaboration between agencies (such as the Health Department, Planning, etc.) to

work on a one-stop permitting process.

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Physical Activity

The group discussion on physical activity was attended by seven participants, including

service providers from Franklin County Schools, the Franklin County Health Department, and

two local pastors. To identify ways to increase physical activity options for Franklin County

residents, the group began by listing current options that Franklin County citizens had to

participate in physical activity, reasons for the success of these options, and factors that are

keeping residents from participating in physical activity. After ranking these factors according to

which they believed was most important and most changeable, the group decided to focus on the

following: increasing awareness about the benefits of physical activity in Franklin County,

increasing awareness about the options for physical activity in Franklin County, and increasing

media messages that promote physical activity for Franklin County residents. Participants in the

group agreed upon the following action steps:

1. Talk to The Franklin Times about publishing a regular health column written by representatives of community organizations.

2. Encourage physical activity competitions among various places of employment,

community groups, schools, and other organizations in the county. The group decided that both action steps would be initiated by the local Healthy Carolinians

coalition, Frankly Healthy.

Mental Health

Six participants attended the small group discussion on mental health, all of whom were

service providers, and three of whom were also residents of Franklin County. The group

identified a wide variety of factors contributing to mental health needs in the county, including a

lack of service providers in the community, long wait times for appointments, a lack of Spanish

speaker providers, difficulty of getting appointments, the fact that many residents cannot afford

26

services or medication, a lack of parental awareness of youth issues such as substance abuse, and

decentralization of services. Factors seen as helping the current mental health situation in the

county included a 24-hour bilingual help line, concern among service providers, having the

support of Rep. Lucy Allen, local support groups such as NAMI and Alcoholics Anonymous,

youth prevention activities, and potential for funding from the Five County Community

Collaborative. The group agreed it was a priority to increase the number of service providers in

the county, and decided upon the following action step:

1. Form an advocacy group to increase recruitment and education of mental health providers. To help achieve this, three participants in the small group discussion agreed to meet again following to forum to brainstorm names of individuals to serve on the advocacy group, and a mental health service provider agreed to be a point person for this effort.

Transportation

As previously mentioned, the small group discussion on transportation was not held, due

to lack of participants. Transportation was, however, raised in several of the other breakout

sessions, and surfaced within some action steps, since it affects Franklin County residents’

ability to make use of various existing services and resources.

SECTION III: METHODS

The student team used a variety of methods to meet the goals of our AOCD, which

included learning about the strengths, challenges, and needs of the community, assisting the

community in identifying priorities, and bringing the community together to openly discuss and

work towards action steps that address the identified issues. Here we describe how we defined

and gained entrée into the community and procedures used to collect and analyze primary and

secondary data. We also discuss the limitations of these approaches.

27

Defining the Community

The student team chose to maintain a broad focus on all residents of Franklin County

rather than focus on a single subgroup for several reasons. First, although each township has its

own character, activities, and priorities, the challenges identified by interviewees pertained to the

county as a whole. While we did not know this upon entering the county, it became apparent

very early in the process. We were also working with the Franklin County Health Department

which aims to serve all residents of the county. Lastly, we found that some residents do consider

the county to be their community. The community was therefore defined as people who live in

Franklin County. As very few people commute into Franklin County for employment, we chose

not to add people who work in Franklin County to our definition of community members.

The team did not encounter resistance to our interpretation of all residents of Franklin

County as a community. In light of this definition, however, the team realized the importance of

ensuring inclusiveness of a variety of demographics and locales within the assessment.

Entering the Community

The process of getting to know Franklin County began with a windshield tour (or driving

tour) in October 2006. The purpose of the windshield tour was for the student team to begin to

become acquainted with the county by observing aspects such as the landscape, density, layout,

housing, businesses, geography, agriculture, and diversity. The team was guided on the tour by

one of our preceptors, and visited four of the five major townships in the county. As was the case

throughout the AOCD, the team took field notes, or notes of our experiences and perceptions.

These were compiled and included in the analysis of the team’s perspective of the themes (see

Section II).

28

Following the windshield tour the team spent time in Franklin County in a variety of

capacities. We volunteered with the Cooperative Extension, the Girl Scouts, and the Department

of Child Nutrition of Franklin County Schools. We attended Frankly Healthy and School Health

Advisory Council meetings, and we attended and helped with Diabetes and Heart Expos at the

Louisburg Senior Center. We chatted with employees of local businesses about the county and

our work, and spent time in local restaurants and shops. We also participated in other festivals,

meetings, and events with ‘movers and shakers’ in the community. With these activities, our

goals were to earn the trust and respect of community members, to meet people who we could

interview or who could refer us to interviewees, and to gain a developed outsider’s perspective of

Franklin County. Our interaction with the community was informed by our concurrent classroom

studies.

Secondary Data Collection

Our understanding of Franklin County was supplemented by reading available sources of

information on the county. The secondary data analysis provided in Section I began with the

collection of data sources in Fall 2006. Most of the secondary data sources we reviewed are

publicly available on the internet or from service providers (see Appendix C for a list of key

resources used). We were aided by a wealth of information available from the Health

Department and a student team who had conducted an AOCD of people with disabilities and

their families in Franklin County the prior year. We reviewed documents from trusted sources,

such as federal agencies, and community based sources, such as The Franklin Times. Many

sources were obtained from agencies we visited as part of our AOCD.

29

Limitations of Secondary Data Collection

Secondary data has many limitations. It is subject to the biases of data collection,

including under- or non-representation of some populations and inaccurate counts due to

transience. We found there to be limited data available at the township level beyond the last

decennial census (2000). Further, data from the 2005 U.S. Census are based on projections.

Therefore some of the data may not be current. Secondary data provides only a shallow view of

the community that cannot be used for making conclusions about the strengths, challenges,

future directions, or needs of community members. This gave a weighted importance to the next

step, primary data collection.

Primary Data Collection

The methods we used for primary data collection included interviewing 23 service

providers and 22 community members, including six youth who participated in a focus group.

Nineteen service providers interviewed were also residents of the County. Field notes made by

team members of our observations, interactions, and experiences while in the county are also

considered primary data.

Before we began primary data collection, we developed interview guides and consent

forms. These forms were developed from the resources of past student teams who sought

Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for their AOCD documents. Although our team was

not required to obtain IRB approval, we aimed to meet the high standards of the IRB, whose goal

is to protect human subjects of research. Thus IRB requirements and past AOCDs heavily

influenced our materials development. Further, because this was a class project, our materials

and protocols were reviewed by our instructors for ethical responsibility.

30

Drawing upon our observations of Franklin County, we worked with our preceptors and

the course instructors to develop interview guides that would allow us to obtain the most

valuable information for the AOCD. We also wanted to give interviewees a comfortable platform

for expressing their perceptions of life in Franklin County. The interview guides can be

referenced in Appendix A. We developed consent forms that provided interviewees with an

understanding of our process and explained the confidentiality of their statements. As can be

seen in Appendix A, participants were protected through a separation of their names and other

identifying information from their statements.

We pilot tested our interview guides with our preceptors at the Health Department to

ensure their appropriateness and effectiveness. We piloted the service provider guide with

Cynthia Gary, who has been a health educator at the Franklin County Health Department for

three years. We piloted the community member guide with Becky Leonard, who has lived in

Franklin County for most of her life in addition to knowing the community through her role as

Allied Health Supervisor at the Health Department.

Interviews

We sought out ‘key informants’ in the community to interview, which we defined as

people who were knowledgeable and in a good position to comment on life in Franklin County.

We identified participants using several methods. Our preceptors directed us to many of our

initial service provider interviewees. We also used our review of the secondary data and contacts

we made via activities in the community. Lastly, at the end of each interview we asked for

recommendations of people who they believed would be good candidates for interviews. While

we approached service providers directly to invite their participation, we sought consent to

contact community members before we approached them to schedule an interview. In some cases

31

we sought out unique perspectives that had not yet been collected through primary or secondary

data in order to achieve representativeness.

Interviews began with the process of obtaining consent. Participants were given the

consent form and had the opportunity to read it and ask questions. Confidentiality and the

voluntary nature of participation were explained to interviewees orally before the interview.

Interviews would not take place without a signed consent form.

Two group members were present at each interview. One would conduct the interview,

while the other, with permission of the interviewee, would take notes on a laptop computer or

notepad. Consent was also sought to make audio recordings of the interviews.

Interviews typically lasted about an hour. As can be referenced in Appendix A,

interviews included questions about the strengths and future directions of Franklin County. They

were also asked what they thought were the most important issues for the county to address.

Questions were open-ended and the interviewers used probes to fully examine the topics brought

up in the interviews. Some questions were omitted later in the AOCD process because the team

had achieved data saturation, or began hearing only repeat information on that topic. Some

probes were also added if the team needed more information on an emerging theme.

Focus Groups

The team worked with a service provider to bring together a group of six high school

students for a focus group. In addition to gaining written and oral assent, as was done in all

interviews, the parents of the youth also signed consent forms to allow their children to

participate. These forms, as well as the interview guide, can be seen in Appendix A. The focus

group allowed the team to gain the youth’s perspective on the strengths, challenges, and needs of

32

Franklin County. This view was considered especially important, since several of the themes that

emerged during the project related to youth.

Data Transcription, Coding, and Analysis

All interviews and the focus group were coded for analysis by the student team. The

coding process began with the creation of a codebook of domains, codes, and sub-codes (see

Appendix B). Team members used inductive reasoning to create the codebook, which involved

first listening to and transcribing several interviews, which were digitally recorded, to determine

the emerging domains and codes. Each code was assigned a definition to increase inter-rater

reliability among the two team members on the coding sub-team (see Appendix B). The coding

sub-team completed transcriptions of each interview, recording summarized information and

listing direct quotes when they were especially illuminating. The coders assigned codes and sub-

codes to interview transcripts, which were then entered into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet based

on the codebook. Identifying information was removed before entering data into the spreadsheet.

Interviewee identification numbers, used for confidentiality purposes, and demographic

indicators were also entered into the spreadsheet. The team calculated the percent of the time that

interviewees discussed themes in each domain by weighing each interviewee’s responses based

on the number of times that they discussed a topic (and respective codes) in each domain. This

weighting ensured that individuals would be represented equally in the results, given that some

individuals spoke about a particular topic multiple times. An analysis of the themes that emerged

in this weighted analysis allowed the team to produce a list of 14 themes (see Appendix B).

Field notes on the team’s observations and experiences in Franklin County were not

subjected to the same strenuous coding procedure, but were thoroughly consulted in the

development of the team’s perspective presented in Section II.

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Limitations of Primary Data Collection

There are limitations of the primary data collected and used in this AOCD. The team only

spent seven months in the community, a very short amount of time to truly gain entrée and meet

a diverse cross-section of the community. We were also limited by the demands we could

reasonably make of community members, as we wanted to be respectful of their time and to

maintain their respect and trust. Our limited time in the community did not allow the team to

fully develop an understanding of the power dynamics within the community. The history of

who has held the decision-making power in the community could play a crucial role in the

achievement of the action steps, and their acceptance with residents.

This leads to what was perhaps the greatest limitation of the primary data: our inability

to reach disenfranchised populations. While age, geography, and gender of interviewees

represented the county’s demographics fairly well (see Appendix B), we were not able to gain

entrée into the Latino community and only interviewed one person of Latino ethnicity. Further,

although we did not collect information on income, we also have the impression that we did not

adequately gain the perspective of low-income residents. We believe these gaps in our data are

due to a shortage of liaison relationships to these communities and due to the inherent bias

towards one’s own social networks when we asked key informants in the community for names

of people to interview. We believe that because of this process the majority of our interviewees

were people with relationships with the service providers and power holders of Franklin County.

Franklin County, like the whole of North Carolina, is experiencing a rapidly quickly

growing Latino population. This population presents a whole new set of challenges to service

provision in Franklin County. Our team’s recommendation would be a focused study Latino

34

residents. The time and procedural limitations of our AOCD did not allow us to assess their

strengths, challenges, or needs in a way that our data could be extrapolated to include Latinos.

Lastly, with our limited time we cannot aim to fully address topics such as

disenfranchisement and race relations, though the team would like to emphasize their

importance. The team would also like to acknowledge the limitations of our interpretations of the

data. Though we have made an effort to have open minds and to not influence the data outside of

the analysis of the team’s perspective, we recognize that we are limited in our ability to do so

and that primary data was filtered through our own assumptions and perceptions.

Forum Planning

The planning for the community forum began in mid-March. Due to our limited

knowledge of the geography, politics, and social dynamics within the local community, it was

essential to involve the community in planning this event. At the end of each service provider

and community member interview, interviewees were invited to join the Forum Planning

Committee (FPC). The forum planning was a participatory process with decision-making and

tasks shared by the committee and the student team. The FPC consisted of nine members

including community members, service providers, and members of the student team. The

committee was diverse in age, gender, race, and work experience. Although a majority of the

committee was comprised of service providers, many were also long-standing community

members of Franklin County.

The FPC met four times in March and April prior to the forum, at a cafe in downtown

Louisburg. At the first meeting the student team presented an overview of the AOCD project and

explained the purpose of the community forum. The committee chose a name for the event—

“One Community, One Voice” —and discussed logistics of selecting a location and a date for the

35

event. During the second meeting the student team explained the facilitation techniques that

would be used during the small group sessions at the forum. The committee also discussed forum

logistics including planning the program agenda, resources, advertising, and childcare. At the

third meeting, the student team presented fourteen themes that emerged from the interviews and

focus groups (see Appendix B). The FPC was asked to rate the themes on importance and

changeability. Importance was defined as what community members and service providers

would find most important to the quality of life in Franklin County. Changeability was based on

which themes people in Franklin County could most feasibly take charge of and create action

steps for. Only two members of the FPC attended this meeting. Because of the importance of

selection the themes, the group agreed it was necessary to contact the rest of the committee

members via email to obtain their input. The student team incorporated the input from the FPC

and the interview data to prioritize the final five themes, which were presented in detail in

Section II. A final meeting was held to explain the program, finalize the logistics, and debrief

speakers.

The FPC was actively involved throughout the planning process and was instrumental in

coordinating several tasks of the community forum. Planning committee members aided the

student team in securing Terrell Lane Middle School as the site for the event, provided food as

well as kitchen staff for the dinner, and provided childcare services. They also aided in garnering

publicity for the forum, including speaking with the local radio station and publishing in the local

newspaper. Finally, two members also agreed to speak at our forum, one as an introductory

speaker, and one to provide closing remarks.

36

Community Forum

The community forum was held from 5:30-8 pm on Tuesday, April 24, 2007, at Terrell

Lane Middle School in Louisburg. The purpose of this forum was to bring together community

members and service providers to celebrate the strengths of Franklin County and to work

together to find ways to improve the lives of Franklin County residents. Approximately 30

people attended the forum.

The event began with welcome addresses by the preceptor for the student team, Ms.

Cynthia Gary, and the director of the Health Department, Mr. Phillip Tarte. This was followed

by an introduction to the student team. The team then recognized and thanked the forum

planning committee, followed by a keynote address from the Reverend Everett Jenkins

explaining the importance of the community coming together for action. Rev. Jenkins explained

the meaning of the name of the event, “One Community, One Voice": that the collective voice

can accomplish greater things than disparate voices. A member of the student team gave a brief

overview of the project and presented the main findings of the project, including strengths,

challenges, and the five prioritized themes. The community then broke into small groups which,

as described previously, developed action steps. Dinner was served after the small group

discussion and the action steps from each group were presented. The program concluded with a

raffle drawing and closing remarks, made by Franklin County’s “Citizen of the Year,” Paige

Sayles (see Forum Program in Appendix D).

Limitations of the Forum

The actions steps created at the forum and the momentum to accomplish them are limited

by the number of forum attendees and the scope of their reach. April is a busy month in Franklin

County, and this event was competing with many others for people’s time; two other health-

37

related forums had taken place in the same week, and an ad-hoc meeting of the county

commissioners was held on the night of the forum. The team also feels that the forum did not

accomplish further solicitation of the perspectives of marginalized populations, as most attendees

were both community members and service providers.

SECTION IV: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The goal of this AOCD was to learn about the strengths, challenges, and needs of the

community, to assist the community in identifying priorities, and to bring the community

together to openly discuss and work towards action steps that address the identified issues. This

document has described our process in detail, and presented the findings of our AOCD. While

the process had its limitations, such as lack of time, the limited perspective of the 45

interviewees and focus group participants, and the under-representation of low-income and

Latino residents, we hope this document displays our attainment of this goal.

Franklin County is in a time of transition, with changes taking place in the economy and

population; both active civic participation and responsive governance can help make this

transition a positive one. We hope that this document can be used as a resource to gain further

support and understanding around the issues that the residents and service providers of Franklin

County identified as priorities.

The AOCD process involved seven months of interviewing and research, ending in a

community forum on April 24, 2007. At this forum, the strength of the people of Franklin

County as a resource was very apparent. Their investment in the quality of life of the county

came through in many ways, including their insightful ideas for next steps and initiative to

volunteer to see the steps through. The team’s primary recommendation is to achieve and build

upon the action steps generated at the community forum. The team would also like to make the

38

following suggestions as additional steps that may help build upon the county’s strengths while

addressing some of its needs:

• Expand inter-agency communication. Many service providers were not aware of other programs and resources in the county. One positive step in this direction is an inter-agency lunch that takes place the last Wednesday of each month.

• Provide additional activity options for youth other than sports. Involve youth in the

planning of facilities or programs that affect youth.

• Continue to support economic growth and increased job opportunities while respecting the pace and tranquility that residents appreciate.

• Begin to recognize and address nutrition as a contributor to obesity. • Improve communication between decision-makers and the community, to better inform

leaders of the county’s needs and the public of the activities and decisions made by their government.

• Conduct greater in-depth analysis of the needs and implications of the growing Latino

population. Work towards greater service provision in Spanish.

The team encourages the public to contact Cynthia Gary, Lead Health Educator at the Franklin

County Health Department, to obtain further information on the action steps developed at the

community forum, or other content of this document. Ms. Gary can be reached by email at

[email protected] or by telephone at (919) 496-2533 ext. 2372.

39


REFERENCES

1. Eng E, Blanchard L. Action-oriented community diagnosis: A health education tool.

International Quarterly of Community Health Education. 1990;11:93-110.

2. U.S. Census Bureau. State and county quick facts. Available at:

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37/37069.html. Accessed March 4, 2007.

3. U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder. 2000 Census demographic profile highlights.

Available at: http://factfinder.census.gov. Accessed February 19, 2007.

4. Franklin County Health Department. Franklin County community health assessment report.

2003.

5. Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. Franklin County profile. Available at:

http://www.franklin-chamber.org/. Accessed February 8, 2007.

6. Franklin County Finance Department. Franklin County North Carolina, Comprehensive

annual financial report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005. 2005.

7. Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. Franklin County, North Carolina. Craig Williams

Creative, Inc.; 2002.

8. State Library of North Carolina. North Carolina Encyclopedia. Available at:

http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/NC/CNTYOUT/CNTYMAPS/COUNT3.HTM. Accessed

March 4, 2007.

40

9. Fedstats. Franklin County MapStats. Available at: http://mapstats.gov/qf/states/37/37069.html.

Accessed March 1, 2007.

10. Coudret C. Budget proposal for Franklin County Commissioners. 2006.

11. Log in to North Carolina (LINC). North Carolina county in-migration reports, 1995-2000.

Available at: http://data.osbm.state.nc.us/migrate/migrate_00_069.pdf. Accessed March 4, 2007.

12. CensusScope. Charts and trends - Franklin County. Available at:

http://www.censusscope.org/index.html. Accessed March 4, 2007.

13. North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center, Inc. County profile for Franklin

County. Available at: http://www.ncruralcenter.org/databank/profile.asp?county=Franklin.

Accessed March 1, 2007.

14. North Carolina Department of Commerce, Economic Development Information System.

Franklin County profile, third quarter 2006. Available at:

http://cmedis.commerce.state.nc.us/countyprofiles/files/pdf/Franklin_2006Q3.pdf. Accessed

March 1, 2007.

15. North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, Agriculture Statistics

Division. Census of agriculture, Franklin County 2002. Available at:

http://www.ncagr.com/Stats/cntysumm/franklin.htm. Accessed March 1, 2007.

16. Franklin County Schools. Available at: http://www.franklinco.k12.nc.us/. Accessed March 1,

2007.

41

17. Health Management Associates, Inc. Franklin County Regional Medical Center. Available at:

www.hma-corp.com/nc1.html. Accessed March 4, 2007.

18. Johnson C. FRMC CON application submitted. The Franklin Times.

19. Franklin County Health Department. 2006 State of the County Health Report. 2006.

20. N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, State Center for Health Statistics. Health

risks among North Carolina adults: 2005. Accessed February 19, 2007.

21. North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics. Carolina County Health Data Book.

Available at: http://www.schs.state.nc.us/SCHS/data/databook/. Accessed February 19, 2007.

22. Franklin County Government. Departments. Available at: http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/.

23. Diggs P, Morgan R, Munson B, Sachdeva N, Succop S, Wang H. People with disabilities in

Franklin County, North Carolina: An action oriented community diagnosis: Findings and next

steps of action. 2006.

42

Appendix A.a.

Franklin County Community Member Interview Guide Opening

a) Thank you for taking the time to meet with me/us. We recognize that your time is valuable and we appreciate your participation.

b) We are graduate students from UNC, working with the Franklin County Health Department to conduct a community assessment, to identify strengths, weaknesses, and future directions. The information we gather will be summarized and shared with the community and the local health department. In addition, we will present our results to the community at a forum that will be held in the spring.

c) The purpose of speaking with you today is to find out about your thoughts and experiences of Franklin County. We are interested in your opinions. There are no right or wrong answers.

d) This interview should last about 45 minutes to an hour. We would like to give you the opportunity to tell us as much as you would like, but (mention if you have limited time/ask if they do)

Confidentiality

a) Your comments will remain confidential. We will be reporting summaries of the comments made by community members but will not identify who said what, nor will we identify the names of the individuals we interview.

b) ______ [name of team member] will take notes and tape record this interview so that we can accurately record what you tell us. Please know that you can decide not to not respond to any question we ask, or hit the “Stop” button on the tape recorder, or end the interview at any time.

c) Here is a copy of a consent form to participate in this interview. If you agree to the terms on this form, please sign it at the bottom.

d) What questions do you have about anything I’ve said so far? General Information about the community

1. How would you describe Franklin County? a) How long have you lived in Franklin County? b) What’s it like to live in Franklin County? c) What do people in Franklin County do for recreation?

Probe: for fun, on the weekends

2. What are some of the best things about Franklin County? Probe: What are people in the community proud of?

3. What would you say are the greatest needs?

Probes: children, poverty, health, safety, housing a) Which needs do you feel are the most important for Franklin County to

address?

Appendix A.a.

4. What projects or programs are going on in Franklin County?

5. What services/programs do the residents of Franklin County use? Probe: health, transportation

a) What services/programs do residents need?

6. Who would you say are community members that seem to be leaders in Franklin

County?

a) Informal leaders (if responded with politicians/gov’t officials) b) If you were going to try to solve a community problem, whom would you

try to involve to ensure success?

7. How has Franklin County changed since you’ve been here?

8. What are some things that bring people together in Franklin County?

9. What are some things that cause tension?

10. How do people in Franklin County find out about things such as events? E.g. newspaper, radio, flyers

Probe: What would be the best way to inform the community about our community forum?

General

11. Of all the issues we’ve talked about today, which do you think are the most important for Franklin County to address?

12. Is there anything else you’d like to tell me about Franklin County? Referrals

We would like to interview a wide variety of individuals in Franklin County who can provide insight on questions like the ones we’ve asked you today. We'd appreciate it if you had any recommendations of people to speak with. If you recommend someone we'll let you gauge their interest in being an interviewee, and we'd follow up with you to get their contact information if they were. Of course, no one is under an obligation to participate in the study. Can you think of the names of some people who would be good to speak with about the needs and assets of Franklin County?

[if community member provides other community member name(s)]

Ok, thank you. Here is a document with some brief information on our purpose [give Community Member adapted consent form]. Would you please relay this information to

Appendix A.a.

_________ [name(s) of Community Member(s)] and if they want to participate, would you please let me know. I will be happy to follow up with you _________ [give a date, or say next week, or at the end of the week].

Community Forum

1. We’d like to have a planning committee for the forum that will take place in April when we will share our findings with the community. Would you like to be part of this planning committee?

[If Community Member answers “yes, thank them; if they answer “No” say “Ok, no problem”]

2. Also, would please write your contact information on this card so that our team can send you an invitation to the community forum? [Present contact information card, and have Community Member fill it out during the interview]

Thank you again for your participation!

Appendix A.b.

Franklin County Service Provider Interview Guide Opening

e) Thank you for taking the time to meet with me/us. We recognize that your time is valuable and we appreciate your participation.

f) We are graduate students from UNC School of Public Health, working with the Franklin County Health Department to conduct a community assessment, to identify strengths, weaknesses, and future directions. The information we gather will be summarized and shared with the community and the local health department. In addition, we will present our results to the community at a forum that will be held in the spring.

g) The purpose of speaking with you today is to find out about your thoughts and experiences of having worked with the residents of Franklin County. We are interested in your opinions. There are no right or wrong answers.

h) This interview should last no more than 75 minutes. Confidentiality

e) Your comments will remain confidential. We will be reporting summaries of the comments made by community members but will not identify who said what, nor will we identify the names of the individuals we interview.

f) ______ [name of team member] will take notes and tape record this interview so that we can accurately record what you tell us. Please know that you can decide not to respond to any question we ask, or hit the “Stop” button on the tape recorder, or end the interview at any time.

g) Here is a copy of a consent form to participate in this interview. If you agree to the terms on this form, please sign it at the bottom.

h) What questions do you have about anything I’ve said so far? Overview of Services

1. Okay, I’d like to start with a few questions about _______ [agency].

2. Can you please tell us about the services your agency provides? What is your source of funding?

3. Can you tell us more about your role as _______ [title], or what you do here? How long have you been in this position?

4. Now, please tell us about the clients of ______ [agency]. Who does your

agency serve? a) Where do they live? b) What demographics do you tend to see? (race/SES) c) How do you meet the various cultural and language needs of the

County? d) How do community members find out about you?

Appendix A.b.

5. What barriers does your organization face in providing services to people of Franklin County?

a) Are there certain populations for whom this is more of an issue? (or that are harder to reach)

b) Are you able to meet the demand for services? c) Are any services under-utilized? Why do you think that is? d) What barriers do people face in accessing your services?

6. Tell us about your agency’s relationships with other organizations in Franklin

County. a) Which organizations do you collaborate with? In what capacity?

How often? b) Are there other organizations you haven’t already mentioned that

play an important role in providing services to the county?

7. How is the community involved in determining the services that you provide? Community

13. How would you describe Franklin County? a) What’s it like to live in Franklin County? How would you describe

the culture of the County? What sub-communities exist?

14. What are some of the best things about Franklin County? a) Probe: What are people in Franklin County proud of?

15. What would you say are the greatest needs?

a) Thanks, that’s helpful information. Are there any specific health issues that come to mind when you think of needs?

16. What projects are going on in the community?

17. Who would you say are the key community leaders in Franklin County?

18. How has Franklin County changed since you’ve been here?

19. What are some things that bring people together in Franklin County?

20. What are some things that cause tension?

21. If you needed to communicate something to the people of Franklin County,

how would you reach them (what’s the best way to communicate)? (e.g., newspaper, radio, flyers)

General

1. Of all of the issues we’ve talked about today, which do you think are the most important for the community to address?

Appendix A.b.

2. Is there anything else you’d like to tell me about Franklin County?

Documents

1. We would like to include as much data as possible in the report that we will be giving back to the community as a resource. Does your agency have any documents that we can either look at or have copies of? (e.g., annual reports, funding applications, etc.)

Referrals

1. We would like to interview a wide variety of individuals who have a vested interest in the community and who can provide incite on questions like the ones we’ve asked you today. Who else would you recommend that we talk to about the needs and assets of your community?

[if Service Provider provides Community Member name(s)]

2. Ok, thank you. Here is a document with some brief information on our purpose and activities [give Service Provider adapted consent form]. Would you please relay this information to _________ [name(s) of Community Member(s)] and if they are okay with us contacting them, please let me know. I will be happy to follow up with you _________ [give a date, or say next week, or at the end of the week].

Community Forum

3. We’d like to have a planning committee for the forum that will take place in April when we will share our findings with the community. Would you like to be part of this planning committee?

[If Service Provider answers “Yes,” thank them; if they answer “No,” say “Ok, not a problem”]

4. Also, would please write your contact information on this card so that our team can send you an invitation to the community forum? [Present contact information card, and have Service Provider fill it out during the interview]


Appendix A.c.

Franklin County Youth Focus Group Interview Guide Opening

i) Thank you for taking the time to meet with me/us. We recognize that your time is valuable and we appreciate your participation.

j) We are students from UNC, working with the Franklin County Health Department to conduct a community assessment. This involves talking with a diverse group of people from Franklin County to get a better sense for what it is like to live here. This includes things that you would like to see changed and things that you really enjoy about Franklin County. The information we gather will be summarized and shared with the community and the local health department. In addition, we will present our results to the community at a forum that will be held in the spring.

k) The purpose of speaking with you today is to find out about your thoughts and experiences of Franklin County. We are interested in your opinions. There are no right or wrong answers.

l) This interview should last about 45 minutes to an hour. We would like to give you the opportunity to tell us as much as you would like, but (mention if you have limited time/ask if they do)

Confidentiality

i) Your comments will remain private. We will be reporting summaries of the comments made by youth but will not identify who said what, nor will we identify the names of the individuals we interview.

j) ______ [name of team member] will take notes and tape record this interview so that we can accurately record what you tell us. Please know that you can decide not to respond to any question we ask or end the interview at any time.

k) Here is a copy of the consent form to participate in this interview. If you agree to the terms on this form, please sign it at the bottom.

l) Do you have any questions about anything I’ve said so far? Icebreaker General Information about the community

22. How would you describe Franklin County? a) How long have you lived in Franklin County? b) What’s it like to live in Franklin County?

23. What do people in Franklin County do in their free time?

a) What do you do for fun? b) What do you do for physical activity?

1. What types of sports do you play? c) What types of extra-curricular activities do you participate in?

Appendix A.c.

24. When you look around, what kinds of problems do you see in Franklin County?

Probes: drugs, poverty, health, crime, safety, pregnancy, entertainment

25. What do you think can be done about some of the problems you just mentioned?

a) (If obesity is mentioned) Franklin County has one of the top rankings in the state for the number of students who are overweight. (Franklin County's rate is 73.8 percent) How do you feel about that?

1. Why do you think Franklin County has such a high ranking? 2. What do you think can be done about it?

26. In your opinion, what are some things that could make the community better? a) Is there anything in particular that you would like to see happen that

is not currently being done?

27. If you had a friend who had never visited Franklin County before and they

asked you what some of the best things about Franklin County were, what would you tell them?

28. Can you name one thing about Franklin County that you are really proud of? Probe: are the people friendly, do people help each other out, are there a lot of things to do?

General 29. Of all the issues we’ve talked about today, which do you think are the most

important for Franklin County to deal with? 30. Is there anything else you’d like to tell me about Franklin County?

Community Forum

We are in the process of interviewing many people from Franklin County. We are planning on having a community forum (explain what this is) in April where we will share some of the topics that people have mentioned to us with the community. If you can make it, we would love to have you there.

Before you leave, please complete this demographic form. It is optional, but the information is helpful to us. We will use the responses to make sure we have included a diverse group of community members in our interview process.


Appendix A.d.

Formatting has been altered from original version

You will be asked to participate in an individual interview with two graduate students from UNC. The interview is made up of a series of questions about life in Franklin County. An example of a general question is, “What is it like to live in your community?” There are no wrong answers or bad ideas, just different opinions. The interview will be one-time only and will take about 60 minutes of your time. If you agree to participate in the interview we will record your response on a piece of paper. Also, if you do not object, we would like to tape record the discussion to make sure we do not miss anything. Only members of our group will have access to the tapes. The tapes will be erased

after our study is over. You can ask us to turn off the tape recorder at anytime.

Information such as age and sex may be gathered during the interview. These descriptive characteristics are collected only to help summarize our data. When we report the data, all identifying information will be removed. Your responses and comments will not be linked

WHAT IS AOCD? AOCD means Action-Oriented Community Diagnosis. AOCD is an assessment of the real experiences of people who live in

your community, and team members are striving to better understand the strengths, weaknesses, and priorities of people living in Franklin County. We will also call ourselves the Community Assessment Team. If you have participated in an AOCD in the past, keep in mind that the process is similar but our focus will be different. WHY ARE YOU PARTICIPATING? You are invited to participate because we want your ideas on the strengths and needs of Franklin Country. Someone in your community identified you as a good person to talk with on this subject. WHAT WILL YOU BE ASKED TO DO?

There are no costs for participating in the study other than your time spent during the interview. If you decide to participate in this interview, you will be asked to sign this form. Signing this brochure means that you have read this form and you understand the purpose of the AOCD project, what you will be asked to do as a participant in the project, and the confidentiality guidelines. It also means that you understand that you can stop taking part in the project at any time if you want to.

WHAT WILL YOU GET OUT OF BEING IN THIS PROJECT? You will have the opportunity to share your

thoughts about Franklin County and the future directions of the County. You will not be paid to participate in this interview. WHAT WILL WE DO WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE GATHER? The team will summarize the information gathered from interviews and focus groups (small groups assembled to identify and discuss key issues in the community) and present it

both in writing and verbally to your community as a resource. Some information will be shared with the Franklin County Health Department. All identifying information and characteristics will be removed before information is presented to the community or the Health Department. For example, if you mention the street you live on, that would be removed before sharing the information. YOUR PARTICIPATION IS VOLUNTARY AND CONFIDENTIAL. Any information that you provide will remain confidential. Though your name and address will be collected, they will not be used in any way linked to your responses. Your contact information will only be used to invite you to attend the community forum. To protect your privacy, all of the information you provide will be stored only with an identification number, not with your name. Every effort will be taken to protect the identity of the participants in this study. However, there is no guarantee that the information cannot be gotten by legal process or court order. This is extremely unlikely to occur. If you would like to remain anonymous, you can pick a made-up name to use during the project.

Appendix A.d.

to you. The only people with access to all data are the members of the student team and the faculty advisors. All notes and audiotapes containing your interview responses will be stored in a locked cabinet at the UNC School of Public Health or in password-protected computer files. Once we finish sharing our results with community and health department, all files will be destroyed (likely May 2007).


CAN YOU REFUSE OR STOP PARTICIPATION? Yes. If you agree to participate in this study, please understand that your participation is voluntary (you do not have to do it). You are free to stop participating at any time. You can refuse to answer any questions. During the interview you may ask that the recording be stopped at any time. ARE THERE ANY RISKS? The risk to you for taking part in this project is small, as we will be asking you general questions about life in Franklin County. Some questions, such as those about problems or needs in your community, may cause you to feel uncomfortable. Therefore, you can skip over any question which you do not wish to answer. Participation will not impact your ability to receive services.

WHO IS IN CHARGE OF PROJECT? HOW CAN I CALL THEM? We are completing this project as a class assignment. If you have

any questions about this project, please contact Sarah, Kevin, Erica, Jessica, Tania, or Emily at 919-966-5542, or toll-free at 866-610-8273. You may also contact our instructor, Kate Shirah, collect if you wish at 919-966-0057. You may also call our preceptor, Cynthia Gary, at the Franklin County Health Department, at 919-496-2533, x. 2372.

If you are interested in participating in an interview, please read the following agreement statement very carefully. Then please sign and date this form and give it to one of the interviewers. You will get a copy of the form for your own records.

Would you like to participate in an AOCD of Franklin County?

Consent Form for Agreement Statement: Community Members By signing this consent form, I give permission to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to use my interview information for the Action-Oriented Community Diagnosis.

________________________________ (Your name, please print) ________________________________ (Your signature and date)

________________________________ THIS (Team member signature and date)

Thank you!

Appendix A.e.


You will be asked to participate in an individual interview with two graduate students from UNC. The interview is made up of a series of questions about life and services in Franklin County. An example of a question is, “What are some of the best things about Franklin County?” There are no wrong answers or bad ideas, just different opinions. The interview will be one-time only and will take about 60 minutes of your time. If you agree to participate in the interview we will record your response on a piece of paper. Also, if you do not object, we would like to tape record the discussion to make sure we do not miss anything. Only members of our group will have access to the tapes. The tapes will be

erased after our study is over. You can ask us to turn off the tape recorder at anytime.


your community, and team members are striving to better understand the strengths, weaknesses, and priorities of people living in Franklin County. We will also call ourselves the Community Assessment Team. If you have participated in an AOCD in the past, keep in mind that the process is similar but our focus will be different. WHY ARE YOU PARTICIPATING? You are invited to participate because we want your ideas on the strengths and needs of Franklin County. Someone in the community identified you as a good person to talk with on this subject. WHAT WILL YOU BE ASKED TO DO?

There are no costs for participating in the study other than your time spent during the interview. If you decide to participate in this interview, you will be asked to sign this form. Signing this brochure means that you have read this form and you understand the purpose of the AOCD project, what you will be asked to do as a participant in the project, and the confidentiality guidelines. It also means that you understand that you can stop taking part in the project at any time if you want to.


thoughts about Franklin County and the future directions of the County. You will not be paid to participate in this interview. WHAT WILL WE DO WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE GATHER? The team will summarize the information gathered from interviews and focus groups (small groups assembled to identify and discuss key

issues in the community) and present it both written and verbally to your community as a resource. Some information will be shared with the Franklin County Health Department. All identifying information and characteristics will be removed before it is presented to the community or the Health Department. For example, if you mention the name of your agency, that will be removed before sharing the information. YOUR PARTICIPATION IS VOLUNTARY AND CONFIDENTIAL. Any information that you provide will remain confidential. Though your name and address will be collected, they will not be used in any way linked to your responses. Your name in contact information will only be used to invite you to attend the community forum. To protect your privacy, all of the information you provide will be stored only with an identification number, not with your name. Every effort will be taken to protect the identity of the participants in this study. However, there is no guarantee that the information cannot be gotten by legal process or court order. This is extremely unlikely to occur. If you would like to remain anonymous, you can pick a made up name to use during the project. Information such as age and sex may be gathered during the interview. These descriptive characteristics are collected only to help summarize our data. When we report the data, all identifying information will be removed.

Appendix A.e.

Your responses and comments will not be linked to you. The only people with access to all data are the members of the student team and the faculty advisors. All notes and audiotapes containing your interview responses will be stored in a locked cabinet at the UNC School of Public Health or in password-protected computer files. Once we finish sharing our results with community and health department, all files will be destroyed (likely May 2007).


CAN YOU REFUSE OR STOP PARTICIPATION? Yes. If you agree to participate in this study, please understand that your participation is voluntary (you do not have to do it). You are free to stop participating at any time. You can refuse to answer any questions. During the interview you may ask that the recording be stopped at any time. ARE THERE ANY RISKS? The risk to you for taking part in this project is small, as we will be asking you general questions about life in Franklin County. Some questions, such as those about problems or needs in your community, may cause you to feel uncomfortable. Therefore, you can skip over any question which you do not wish to answer.

WHO IS IN CHARGE OF PROJECT? HOW CAN I CALL THEM? We are completing this project as a class assignment. If you have

any questions about this project, please contact Sarah, Kevin, Erica, Jessica, Tania, or Emily at

919-966-5542, or toll-free at 866-610-8273. You may also contact our instructor, Kate Shirah, collect if you wish at 919-966-0057. You may also call our preceptor, Cynthia Gary, at the Franklin County Health Department, at 919-496-2533, x. 2372.

If you are interested in participating in an interview, please read the following agreement statement very carefully. Then please sign and date this form and give it to one of the interviewers. You will get a copy of the form for your own records.


Agreement Statement:

Consent Form for By signing this consent form, I give permission to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to use my interview information for the Action-Oriented Community Diagnosis.

Service Providers

________________________________ (Your name, please print) ________________________________ (Your signature and date) ________________________________

(Team member signature and date) THIS

Thank you!

Appendix A.f.


You will be asked to participate in a focus group (small groups assembled to identify and discuss key issues in the community) with graduate students from UNC. The focus group is made up of a series of questions about life in Franklin County. An example of a general question is, “What is it like to live in Franklin County?” There are no wrong answers or bad ideas, just different opinions. The focus group will be one-time only and will take about 60 minutes of your time. If you agree to participate in the focus group we will record your response on a piece of paper. Also, if you do not object, we would like to tape record the discussion to make sure we do not miss anything. Only members of our group will have access to the tapes. The tapes will be

erased after our study is over. You can ask us to turn off the tape recorder at anytime.


your community, and team members are striving to better understand the experiences and priorities of people living in Franklin County. We will also call ourselves the Community Assessment Team. If you have participated in an AOCD in the past, keep in mind that the process is similar but our focus will be different. WHY ARE YOU PARTICIPATING? You are invited to participate because we want your ideas on the strengths and needs of Franklin Country. Someone in your community identified this group as a good one to talk with on this subject. WHAT WILL YOU BE ASKED TO DO?

There are no costs for participating in the study other than your time spent during the focus group. If you decide to participate in this focus group, you will be asked to sign this form. Signing this brochure means that you have read this form and you understand the purpose of the AOCD project, what you will be asked to do as a participant in the project, and the confidentiality guidelines. It also means that you understand that you can stop taking part in the project at any time if you want to.


thoughts about Franklin County and the future directions of the County. You will not be paid to participate in this focus group. WHAT WILL WE DO WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE GATHER? The team will summarize the information gathered from interviews and focus groups and present it both in writing and verbally to your

community as a resource. Some information will be shared with the Franklin County Health Department. All identifying information and characteristics will be removed before information is presented to the community or the Health Department. For example, if you mention the street you live on, that would be removed before sharing the information. YOUR PARTICIPATION IS VOLUNTARY AND CONFIDENTIAL. Any information that you provide will remain confidential. Though your name and address will be collected, they will not be used in any way linked to your responses. Your contact information will only be used to invite you to attend the community forum. To protect your privacy, all of the information you provide will be stored only with an identification number, not with your name. Every effort will be taken to protect the identity of the participants in this study. However, there is no guarantee that the information cannot be gotten by legal process or court order. This is extremely unlikely to occur. If you would like to remain anonymous, you can pick a made-up name to use during the project. Information such as age and may be gathered during the interview. These descriptive characteristics are collected only to help summarize our data. When we report the data, all identifying information will be removed. Your responses and comments will not be linked to you. The only people with access to all data are the members of the student team and the

Appendix A.f.

faculty advisors. All notes and audiotapes containing your interview responses will be stored in a locked cabinet at the UNC School of Public Health or in password-protected computer files. Once we finish sharing our results with community and health department, all files will be destroyed (likely May 2007).


CAN YOU REFUSE OR STOP PARTICIPATION? Yes. If you agree to participate in this study, please understand that your participation is voluntary (you do not have to do it). You are free to stop participating at any time. You can refuse to answer any questions. During the focus group you may ask that the recording be stopped at any time. We must also have the signed consent of your parents if you are under 18. ARE THERE ANY RISKS? The risk to you for taking part in this project is small, as we will be asking you general questions about life in Franklin County. Some questions, such as those about problems or needs in your community, may cause you to feel uncomfortable. Therefore, you can skip over any question which you do not wish to answer. Participation will not impact your ability to receive services.

WHO IS IN CHARGE OF PROJECT? HOW CAN I CALL THEM? We are completing this project as a class assignment. If you or your

parents have any questions about this project, please contact Sarah, Kevin, Erica, Jessica, Tania, or Emily at 919-966-5542, or toll-free at 866-610-8273. You may also contact our instructor, Kate Shirah, collect if you wish at 919-966-0057. You may also call our preceptor, Cynthia Gary, at the Franklin County Health Department, at 919-496-2533, x. 2372.

If you are interested in participating in the focus group, please read the following agreement statement very carefully. Then please sign and date this form and give it to one of the interviewers. You will get a copy of the form for your own records.


Youth Assent Form for Agreement Statement: By signing this consent form, I give permission to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to use my responses from the focus group for the Action-Oriented Community Diagnosis.

Focus Group Members

________________________________ (Your name, please print) ________________________________ (Your signature and date)

________________________________ THIS (Team member signature and date)

Thank you!

Appendix A.g.


Your child will be asked to participate in a focus group (small groups assembled to identify and discuss key issues in the community) with graduate students from UNC. The focus group is made up of a series of questions about life in Franklin County. An example of a general question is, “What is it like to live in Franklin County” and “What do you do for fun?”. There are no wrong answers or bad ideas, just different opinions. The focus group will be one-time only and will take about 60 minutes of their time. If you agree to allow them to participate in the focus group we will record their responses on a piece of paper. Also, if they do not object, we would like to tape record the discussion to make sure we do not miss anything. Only members of our group will have access to the tapes. The

tapes will be erased after our study is over. Any participant can ask us to turn off the tape recorder at anytime.

WHAT IS AOCD? AOCD means Action-Oriented Community Diagnosis. AOCD is an

assessment of the real experiences of people who live in your community, and team members are striving to better understand the experiences and priorities of people living in Franklin County. We will also call ourselves the Community Assessment Team. If you or your child have participated in an AOCD in the past, keep in mind that the process is similar but our focus will be different. WHY IS YOUR CHILD PARTICIPATING? Your child is invited to participate because we want to understand the experiences of youth living in Franklin County. WHAT WILL YOUR CHILD BE ASKED TO DO?

There are no costs for participating in the study other than time spent during the focus group. If you decide to allow your child to participate in this focus group, you will be asked to sign this form. We will also have a separate form for your child to sign. Signing this brochure means that you have read this form and you understand the purpose of the AOCD project, what your child will be asked to do as a participant in the project, and the confidentiality guidelines. It also means that you understand that your child can stop taking part in the project at any time if they want to. WHAT WILL YOUR CHILD GET OUT OF BEING IN THIS PROJECT? Your child will have the opportunity to share their thoughts about Franklin County and the future directions of the County. Your child will not be paid to participate in this focus group. WHAT WILL WE DO WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE GATHER? The team will summarize the information gathered from interviews and focus groups and present it both in

writing and verbally to your community as a resource. Some information will be shared with the Franklin County Health Department. All identifying information and characteristics will be removed before information is presented to the community or the Health Department. For example, if your child mentions the street they live on, that would be removed before sharing the information. YOUR CHILD’S PARTICIPATION IS VOLUNTARY AND CONFIDENTIAL. Any information that your child provides will remain confidential. Though their name and address will be collected, they will not be used in any way linked to their responses. Your child’s contact information will only be used to invite them to attend the community forum. To protect your child’s privacy, all of the information they provide will be stored only with an identification number, not with your child’s name. Every effort will be taken to protect the identity of the participants in this study. However, there is no guarantee that the information cannot be gotten by legal process or court order. This is extremely unlikely to occur. If your child would like to remain anonymous, they can pick a made-up name to use during the project. Information such as age and sex may be gathered during the interview. These descriptive characteristics are collected only to help summarize our data. When we report the data, all identifying information will be removed. Your child’s responses and comments will not be linked to them. The only people with access

Appendix A.g.


to all data are the members of the student team and the faculty advisors. All notes and audiotapes containing your interview responses will be stored in a locked cabinet at the UNC School of Public Health or in password-protected computer files. Once we finish sharing our results with community and health department, all files will be destroyed (likely May 2007). CAN YOU OR YOUR CHILD REFUSE OR STOP PARTICIPATION? Yes. If your child agrees to participate in this study, please understand that their participation is voluntary (they do not have to do it). Your child is free to stop participating at any time. Your child can refuse to answer any questions. During the focus group your child may ask that the recording be stopped at any time. Parents will not be present but may opt for their child to not participate. ARE THERE ANY RISKS? The risk to your child for taking part in this project is small, as we will be asking your child general questions about life in Franklin County. Some questions, such as those about problems or needs in your community, may cause your child to feel uncomfortable. Therefore, your child can skip over any question which they do not wish to answer.

Participation will not impact your child’s ability to receive services.

WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THIS PROJECT? CAN I CALL THEM? We are completing this project as a class assignment. If you have any questions about this project, please contact Sarah, Kevin, Erica, Jessica, Tania, or Emily at 919-966-5542, or toll-free at 866-610-8273. You may also contact our instructor, Kate Shirah, collect if you wish at 919-966-0057. You may also call our preceptor, Cynthia Gary, at the Franklin County Health Department, at 919-496-2533, x. 2372. If you are interested allowing your child to participating in a focus group, please read the following agreement statement very carefully. Then please sign and date this form and give it to one of the interviewers. You will get a copy of the form for your own records. Agreement Statement: By signing this consent form, I give permission to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to use my child’s responses from the focus group for the Action-Oriented Community Diagnosis. ________________________________ (Your name, please print) ________________________________ (Your signature and date) ________________________________ (Team member signature and date)

May your child participate in an

AOCD of Franklin County?

Parent Consent Form for Youth Focus Group Members

Appendix A.h.

2006-2007 Franklin County Action-Oriented Community Diagnosis Team Consent to Contact Information and Script

Purpose: This form provides guidelines for service providers and community members to receive permission to release name and contact information of potential interviewees and focus group participants to the UNC Franklin County Action-Oriented Community Diagnosis Team. A team of graduate students from UNC are doing an assessment of the real experiences and strengths, weaknesses, and priorities of Franklin County. They would be interested in contacting you to participate in an interview (or focus group) for their study. Your comments will be confidential. The results of the information they gather will be presented to the community at a forum that will be held in the spring. They will report summaries of the comments made by community members, but they will not identify who said what, nor will they identify the names of the individuals they interview.

If you agree to be contacted by the team, I will give them your information, and they will provide you with more information. You will have the opportunity to decide whether or not you wish to participate. I will not know whether you decide to participate or not. Regardless of your decision, any services you may utilize will not be affected in any way. If you have any questions about the study, you can contact the AOCD team, their instructor, Kate Shirah, or their local liasion, Cynthia Gary at the Franklin County Health Department. Team (Sarah, Kevin, Erica, Tania, Emily, and Jessica): 919-966-5542, or toll-free 866-610-8273 Kate Shirah, Instructor: (collect if you wish) 919-966-0057

UNC School of Public Health Dept of Health Behavior and Health Education Campus Box 7440 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7440

Cynthia Gary, Franklin Co. Health Department: 919-496-2533 I would appreciate your consent for providing the contact information below. Name: _____________________________________ Address: ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Contact number: (C) ________________ (H)________________ (W) __________________

Email: __________________________ Please circle your preferred method of being contacted: Cell Phone Home Phone Work Phone Email Thank you!

Appendix A.i.

2006-2007 Franklin County Action-Oriented Community Diagnosis Team

Contact Information I would appreciate your consent for providing the contact information below. Name: _____________________________________ Address: ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Contact number: (C) ________________

(H) ________________

Email: __________________________ Thank you!

Appendix A.j.

Demographic Information Form What is your gender?

Male Female

What is your race? (You may choose more than one)

African American (Black) Caucasian (White) American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Other (please specify): __________________________

What is your ethnicity?

Hispanic Not Hispanic

What is your age?

___ ___

Appendix A.k.

Franklin County AOCD Recruitment and Confidentiality Procedures

Recruitment Procedures Service Provider Interviews Our interview process will begin with service providers. Potential service providers to be interviewed will be identified in several ways:

• A list provided by our preceptors at Franklin County Health Department • Review of websites and other secondary resources • Referrals from other service providers in the community

Service providers will be contacted directly (by telephone and/or email) by a member of the Franklin County AOCD team, who will introduce and explain the project and invite participation. Community Member Interviews To identify potential community members for interviews, we will begin by requesting referrals from service providers. Rather than contacting referred individuals directly, we will ask the referrer to first contact the community member to introduce the project and seek permission to be contacted by a member of the AOCD team (we will provide a sample script for them to follow). Once we have received permission to contact an individual, procedures will be the same as those used with service providers. In some cases, we may also identify community members for interviews directly. This will only occur if we have met the community member first (e.g. at a community event), and he/she seems interested in the project. We will not contact any community members to request an interview without first gaining their permission either through our own interactions with them or through another community member or service provider. Focus Groups To recruit participants for focus groups, we will work with the specific community organizations (such as the Boys and Girls Club, or schools) where the focus group(s) will be held. We will ask the organization(s) to advise us on the best strategy for identifying participants (e.g. through advertising or inviting select individuals), and to help with the recruitment process they recommend (e.g. they may help by posting flyers, sending home letters with students, talking to certain individuals, etc.). Informed Consent Procedures After an individual service provider or community member has informally agreed to participate in an interview or focus group, he/she will be asked to give his/her informed consent prior to the interview, as described below.

Appendix A.k.

For those under the age of 18, a parent or guardian will be asked to sign a consent form on behalf of the child. The child will also be asked to sign an assent form to indicate his/her willingness to participate and understanding of the process. Interviews (service providers and community members) As is noted in the referral script and in the interview guides, interviewees will be provided with the appropriate consent form (community member or service provider) prior to the interview. They will have a chance to read it and ask questions, and the basics of confidentiality and that their participation is voluntary will be explained to them verbally before the interview. Interviews will not take place until the team obtains a signed consent form. If the interviewee is a minor, we will obtain both youth assent and parental consent and the guardian will have the option to be present for the interview. However, we plan to assess youth needs mainly through focus groups. Focus Groups Focus groups will have a similar consent process. Small modifications to the Community Member Consent Form or Youth Assent Form may be made to obtain consent from focus group participants, such as the title and the nature of what they will be asked to do. They will have a chance to read it and ask questions, and the basics of confidentiality and that their participation is voluntary will be explained to them verbally before the interview. No one will participate in focus groups unless the team has obtained signed consent. If participants are minors, we will obtain both youth assent and parental consent. Participants in the AOCD interviews and focus groups will be provided with their own copies of the consent form, which includes phone numbers if questions arise. Confidentiality & Data Storage To help ensure participant confidentiality, all participant data will be de-identified (i.e. we will remove names and other identifying information). Each participant will be assigned a unique identifier, which will be used to label all data associated with that participant, including interview tapes, transcripts, and demographic profile forms. Tapes and hard copies of data will be stored in a locked file cabinet. Electronic documents with participant data will be stored on password-protected computers or a password-protected Yahoo Groups website (accessible only by Franklin County AOCD student team members). The link between the unique identifier codes and participant identities will be kept in a separate location from hard copies or electronic versions of data.

Appendix B.a.

Demographic Information of Interviewees For the purposes of confidentiality, youth focus group participants were considered community members in this table. Demographic Indicator Community Members Service Providers Gender Female 15 13 Male 7 10 Race/Ethnicity White 16 17 White Hispanic 0 1 African American 6 5 Age 0-18 6 0 19-35 3 6 36-50 3 6 51-65 5 8 65+ 5 3 Township of Residence Louisburg 8 7 Youngsville 4 2 Franklinton 1 5 Bunn 4 1 Lake Royale 2 0 Other or Unknown (in Franklin County)

3 4

Outside Franklin County 0 4

Appendix B.b.

Codebook Domain: Access

Codes and Definitions • Transportation – Availability and use of public and/or personal vehicles to

travel to different places inside and outside of the county. • Recreation – Indoor and outdoor activities for entertainment and social

interaction. These can include both physical and non-physical activities, such as organized sports or watching movies.

• Recreational facilities – Buildings, areas or locations used for recreation. • Sidewalks – Availability, quality and convenience of sidewalks. • Services provided – Examples of services and resources that are coordinated

and/or provided by agencies and organizations for people in the county. Domain: Health

Codes and Definitions • Health facilities – Availability of resources and places for improving or

maintaining health. May be inside or outside of the county. • Hospital – Information related to the Franklin County Regional Medical

Center, including the planned move. • Health insurance – Cost, availability, and ownership of private or

government-subsidized health insurance. • Obesity – References to overweight and obesity among county residents. • Physical activity – Presence or examples of physical exercise among youth

and adults in the county. • Nutrition – Healthy or unhealthy eating habits as well as the availability of

healthy and unhealthy foods. • Mental health - Availability of services for people with mental health needs in

the county. Includes seeking of and referring to mental health services. • Teen mothers – References to women under age 18 who are pregnant or who

have children, as well as references to education for family planning. • Substance use – Use of substances, including alcohol, cigarettes and other

tobacco products. • Chronic disease – Lifelong illnesses or infections, including cancer, heart

disease, diabetes and other chronic illnesses. • Drugs – Selling or using illegal drugs. • Socioeconomic impact on health – Disparities between the level of health

among people of high and low social and economic status. • General health needs – References to health problems or needs for services

that do not fall under the other codes in the Health domain.

Appendix B.b.

Domain: Race relations Codes and Definitions

• Interaction – Circumstances where people of different races and ethnicities are in the same place together or choose not to be in the same place together.

• Geographic location – Physical locations where people of different races live or spend time in the county.

• Racial tension – Animosity toward or among people of different races; specific races are not referenced or are referenced very generally.

• African-American racial tension – Animosity toward or among people specifically due to their African-American race.

• Hispanic racial tension – Animosity toward or among people specifically due to their Hispanic ethnicity.

• Minority youth services – Resources and programs specifically tailored toward children and adolescents of minority races and ethnicities.

• Language needs/Hispanic services – Resources and programs specifically tailored toward people of Hispanic ethnicity and who speak Spanish as a first language.

Domain: Youth

Codes and Definitions • Education – Resources and facilities for education, such as schools, colleges,

and technical schools, as well as the use of these resources and facilities. • Adult/Child communication – Opportunities for young people and adults,

including parents, in the county to discuss ideas for improving different aspects of life in the county.

• Crime – Youth committing acts that are against the law. This includes violence in addition to other illegal acts.

• Youth services – Resources and programs specifically tailored toward children and adolescents in the county.

• Gangs – Formation, interaction, and influence of youth gangs both inside and outside of schools.

Domain: Growth

Codes and Definitions • Economy – References to economic development in the county, including

taxes and other monetary and industrial support. • Housing – References to development or existence of homes for low-income

and high income residents of the county. • Employment – New and existing jobs and careers in the county. • Hispanic population growth – Expansion of the Hispanic community in the

county. • Community growth – Expansion of the resident population in the county. • New business – Development or introduction of small and large businesses

and industries in the county.

Appendix B.b.

• Infrastructure – Existence or development of infrastructure in the county, including sewer, electricity, phone lines, and roads to serve residents and facilities in the county.

Domain: Community

Codes and Definitions • Geographic location – References to different areas or townships in the

county, which influence the particular communities that develop in those areas.

• Sense of community – Perceptions of the intangible aspects that make up the community or communities in Franklin County.

• Fundraisers – Events and programs conducted in the county to raise money for projects or for residents in the county.

• Organizational partnership – Collaboration among different organizations, programs and agencies that provide services in the county.

• Community atmosphere – Perceptions of the social, emotional, and political opinions and aura in the county.

• Church – The presence and influence of religious organizations of different denominations in the county.

• Community leaders – References to people, committees, boards, or panels, which provide leadership in the county.

• Politics – References to county government leaders and decisions of governmental bodies that affect the county.

• Community involvement – Actions taken by community members to increase or improve activities, social interactions, and other opportunities in the county.

Sub-codes*

• Positive – Optimistic, constructive, affirmative attitudes toward the topic area. This attitude also refers to the availability and adequacy of services, resources, opportunities, and facilities in the county.

• Negative – Pessimistic, critical attitudes toward the topic area. This attitude also refers to the need for or inadequacy of services, resources, opportunities, and facilities in the county.

• Neutral – Neither positive nor negative attitudes toward the topic area. A general reference to the topic area that does not imply a particular emotion or perception of that topic.

*Sub-codes to indicate respondents’ attitudes towards the different topics were assigned along with each code.

Appendix B.c. Franklin County Action Oriented Community Diagnosis

Potential themes from interviews to be discussed at the forum PLEASE SELECT 5 THEMES BASED ON IMPORTANCE AND CHANGEABILITY (see

instructions in e-mail) by

Monday, April 16, at 5:00 p.m.

Category Topic Percent of

time discussed**

Emerging Themes Themes have been numbered for the voting process.

They are not based on any rank order.

Transportation 21.76%

1) There is a need for inexpensive, public transportation to increase access to services and resources for some residents of Franklin County.

2) There is a need for additional transportation for youth in Franklin County to increase access to after school activities.

Acc

ess

Recreation/ Recreation

facilities 59.33%

3) There is a need for a public facility in Franklin County to provide recreation and/or entertainment activities for youth.

4) There is a need for more public, outdoor spaces for recreation in Franklin County.

Economy 15.33%

Employment 9.43%

Gro

wth

New Business 22.78%

5) Franklin County needs new industry to broaden the tax base and create new job opportunities.

Obesity 8.22%

Physical Activity 5.01%

Nutrition 7.04%

6) Lack of physical activity options is contributing to increasing rates of obesity in Franklin County.

7) A lack of healthy food options is contributing to unhealthy

eating habits and increasing rates of obesity in Franklin County.

Hea

lth

Mental Health 11.81% 8) There’s an impression that the needs of people with

mental health issues are not being met, either because of a lack of services, lack of awareness of services available, or stigma attached to seeking help for mental health.

Hispanic race relations 14.41%

9) Community involvement and education is needed to embrace the growing Hispanic population in Franklin County.

10) Services are needed to decrease the language and other cultural barriers among the growing Hispanic population in Franklin County.

Rac

e R

elat

ions

African American race

relations 10.34%

11) Among African Americans, there is a desire for greater community engagement as well as representation in leadership positions in Franklin County.

Crime/ Violence 18.77%

12) Youth in Franklin County are concerned with a lack of security in schools, which could be used to prevent fights and gang activities and violence

Yout

h

Education 57.60%

13) There’s concern that a high drop out rate from school is leaving youths unprepared for secondary education or the workforce.

14) There’s a need for even more technical or skill-based training options within or outside of traditional school curriculum.

** Percent of the time that interviewees discussed the respective topic within each category.

Appendix B.d.

Franklin County Needs* The following is a list of challenges and needed improvements, for which service providers and community members share concern. Issues are not listed in a rank order, and issues discussed at the forum are in boldface.

Recreation o There is a need for more public facilities in Franklin County to provide

recreation and/or entertainment activities for youth. o There is a need for more public, outdoor spaces for recreation in Franklin

County.

Transportation o There is a need for inexpensive, public transportation to increase access to

services and resources for some residents of Franklin County. o There is a need for additional transportation for youth in Franklin County to

increase access to after school activities.

Economy, Employment, New Business/Industry o Franklin County needs new industry to broaden the tax base and create new job

opportunities. o There is a need to support new and local business in Franklin County to

enhance the local economy and create new job opportunities.

Residential Growth o There is a desire among many long-time residents of Franklin County for the

county to maintain its close-knit, respectful atmosphere and clean environment in the wake of its rapid growth.

Housing

o There is need for more affordable housing in Franklin County for residents with lower incomes.

Physical Activity, Nutrition, Obesity

o A lack of physical activity options is contributing to increasing rates of obesity in Franklin County.

o A lack of healthy food options is contributing to unhealthy eating habits and increasing rates of obesity in Franklin County.

Mental Health

o There’s an impression that the needs of people with mental health issues are not being met, either because of a lack of services, lack of awareness of services available, or stigma attached to seeking help for mental health.

Healthcare Access

o There is a need for more medical specialists in Franklin County, so it is not necessary to travel outside the county to receive these services.

o There are many residents in Franklin County who cannot access health insurance or medication because their incomes are too low to afford these resources, but too high to qualify for Medicare/Medicaid.

o Some residents of Franklin County are concerned that if the hospital moves from Louisburg to Youngsville, medical services will not be as accessible.

Appendix B.d.

Animal Welfare o To ensure the safety and health of people and animals in the County, there is a

need for laws mandating rabies vaccinations, animal welfare education, spay/neutering, and leash use.

Chronic Disease

o Community members and service providers in Franklin County are concerned with the level of chronic disease among members of the community.

Hispanic Race Relations

o Community involvement and education is needed to embrace the growing Hispanic population in Franklin County.

o Language and other cultural barriers are preventing some members of the growing Hispanic population in Franklin County from accessing services and participating fully in community activities.

African American Race Relations

o Among African Americans, there is a desire for greater community engagement as well as representation in leadership positions in Franklin County.

Crime/Violence

o Youth in Franklin County are concerned with a lack of security in schools, which could be used to prevent fights, gang activities, and violence.

Education

o There’s concern that a high drop out rate from school is leaving youths unprepared for secondary education or the workforce.

o There’s a need for even more technical or skill-based training options within or outside of traditional school curriculum.

Youth Health Needs

o There is concern over drug dealing and drug use occurring among youth in Franklin County.

o There is a need for more sexual education resources for youth in Franklin County, to reduce teenage pregnancy and prevent sexually transmitted diseases.

Youth-Adult Communication

o Youth would like more opportunities to be heard by county leaders, to make positive changes in the community, particularly around recreation and social activities.

*Not every theme on this list was presented to the FPC for consideration for discussion at the forum (see Appendix B.c.). This was due to each theme’s weight in the analysis

(how often it was mentioned and by how many interviewees). This handout was provided to forum attendees to demonstrate all of the concerns of the citizens.

Appendix C.a.

Key Sources of Secondary Data on Franklin County

Demographics

CensusScope

Charts and Trends, Franklin County http://www.censusscope.org

Fedstats

Franklin County MapStats http://mapstats.gov/qf/states/37/37069.html

Log in to North Carolina (LINC)

http://data.osbm.state.nc.us/pls/linc/dyn_linc_main.show

North Carolina Department of Commerce

Economic Development Information System http://cmedis.commerce.state.nc.us/countyprofiles/profile.cfm

North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center, Inc.

Rural Data Bank, County profile for Franklin County http://www.ncruralcenter.org/databank/profile.asp?county=Franklin

U.S. Census Bureau

American FactFinder http://factfinder.census.gov

State and County Quick Facts

Franklin County http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37/37069.html

Bunn http://censtats.census.gov/data/NC/1603708860.pdf

Louisburg http://censtats.census.gov/data/NC/1603739360.pdf

Franklinton http://censtats.census.gov/data/NC/1603724720.pdf

Youngsville http://censtats.census.gov/data/NC/1603776200.pdf

Centerville http://censtats.census.gov/data/NC/1603711560.pdf

Education

Franklin County Schools http://www.franklinco.k12.nc.us/

Louisburg College http://www.louisburg.edu/

Vance Granville Community College http://www.vgcc.edu/franklin.htm

http://www.censusscope.org/

http://mapstats.gov/qf/states/37/37069.html

http://data.osbm.state.nc.us/pls/linc/dyn_linc_main.show

http://cmedis.commerce.state.nc.us/countyprofiles/profile.cfm

http://www.ncruralcenter.org/databank/profile.asp?county=Franklin

http://factfinder.census.gov/

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37/37069.html

http://censtats.census.gov/data/NC/1603708860.pdf





http://www.franklinco.k12.nc.us/

http://www.louisburg.edu/

http://www.vgcc.edu/franklin.htm

Appendix C.a.

Health

North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics

Health risks among North Carolina adults: BRFSS 2005 http://www.schs.state.nc.us/SCHS/pdf/BRFSSReport2005.pdf

2006 County Health Data Book http://www.schs.state.nc.us/SCHS/data/databook/

Franklin County Health Department

Health Department Website: http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/docs/health/l_Health_Ed.html#h-ed2

Franklin County 2003 Community Health Assessment Report http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/docs/health/docs/CAssmnt2003.pdf

State of the County Health Report (2006) http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/docs/health/documents/SOTCH2006Modified.pdf

Franklin County Regional Medical Center http://www.franklinregionalmedicalctr.com/

History, Government and Economy

Franklin County Chamber of Commerce http://www.franklin-chamber.org/

Franklin County Government

Government Website http://www.co.franklin.nc.us

Franklin County Finance Department http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/docs/finance/frame_finance.html

Economic Development http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/docs/econdev/nc_franklin/index.asp

North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences,

Agriculture Statistics Division – County Statistics http://www.ncagr.com/Stats/cntysumm/franklin.htm

State Library of North Carolina

North Carolina Online Encyclopedia. http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/NC/CNTYOUT/CNTYMAPS/COUNT3.HTM

Other Resources

The Franklin Times http://www.thefranklintimes.com

Diggs P, Morgan R, Munson B, Sachdeva N, Succop S, Wang H. (2006). People with Disabilities in Franklin County, North Carolina: An Action-Oriented Community Diagnosis: Findings and next steps of action. http://www.hsl.unc.edu/phpapers/FranklinCoDisabilities06.pdf

http://www.schs.state.nc.us/SCHS/pdf/BRFSSReport2005.pdf

http://www.schs.state.nc.us/SCHS/data/databook/

http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/docs/health/l_Health_Ed.html#h-ed2

http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/docs/health/docs/CAssmnt2003.pdf

http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/docs/health/documents/SOTCH2006Modified.pdf

http://www.franklinregionalmedicalctr.com/

http://www.franklin-chamber.org/

http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/

http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/docs/finance/frame_finance.html

http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/docs/econdev/nc_franklin/index.asp

http://www.ncagr.com/Stats/cntysumm/franklin.htm

http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/NC/CNTYOUT/CNTYMAPS/COUNT3.HTM

http://www.thefranklintimes.com/

http://www.hsl.unc.edu/phpapers/FranklinCoDisabilities06.pdf

Appendix C.b.

Regional map of Franklin County (in blue)

Appendix D.a.

Date Dear Friend in Franklin County, We are graduate students at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. As part of an academic course, we are on a team of 6 students conducting a community assessment. This is required of all first-year students in our program. We are partnering with the Franklin County Health Department in order to identify central issues to citizens of Franklin County. We are currently attending community events in Franklin County, interviewing local residents and service providers, and frequenting local restaurants, boutiques and stores. In April we will be presenting our results at a community forum. This event will serve as an opportunity to share our findings with Franklin County residents. As we have noticed the pride that community members have in local establishments, we would like to have your business represented at the forum. We are requesting a donation from your business to be given away as a door prize to local residents. We will also have a list of donors present at the forum to give you recognition. This will undoubtedly generate even more goodwill in the community and publicly credit your organization as a generous one. Your donation is eligible for a tax deduction. The Federal Tax ID number for UNC-CH is 56-600-1393. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us by phone at (919) 966-5542 or toll-free at (866) 610-8273. We thank you for your donation, and hope you can join us for the forum!! Most Sincerely, Erica Bourget Community Forum Planning Committee, Co-Chair Kevin McKenna Community Forum Planning Committee, Co-Chair

Appendix D.b.

Appendix D.c.

Appendix D.d.

Franklin County Assessment Team Department of Health Behavior & Health Education University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 27599 Phone: 1-866-610-8273 Email: [email protected] Dear Thank you again for sharing your thoughts and experiences about what life is like for people living in Franklin County. We have spoken with nearly 50 people in your community and are eager to share with you what we have found through our interviews and focus groups. You may remember hearing that we were planning to host a community forum in Franklin County in April. Now, the time has finally come and we are very pleased to invite you to attend this event! The community forum —One Community, One Voice— will take place on Tuesday, April 24th, from 5:30-8:00 p.m. (refreshments will be served starting at 5:15), at Terrell Lane Middle School in Louisburg (101 Terrell Lane, see reverse side for map). Come out and be heard as you meet with citizens, service providers, and local leaders to discuss issues affecting Franklin County and steps the community can take to improve quality of life in the area. The event is free and we will provide dinner, childcare, and prizes. We hope that you are able to attend the forum and we invite you to bring your co-workers, friends and family. Unfortunately we have limited space and would very much appreciate an RSVP by April 17th. In addition, if there are any accommodations needed, please let us know ahead of time so we can be sure to make arrangements. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by phone (1-866-610-8273) or by e-mail ([email protected]). Thank you for your participation and your commitment to the Franklin County community! We hope to see you soon! On behalf of the Franklin County Assessment Team and the Franklin County Forum Planning Committee, Kevin McKenna and Erica Bourget

Appendix D.e.

Franklin County Assessment Team Department of Health Behavior & Health Education University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 27599 Phone: 1-866-610-8273 Email: [email protected] Dear Franklin County resident, We are writing to let you know about some exciting work that is going on in Franklin County. We are a team of six graduate students from the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We have been conducting a community assessment in Franklin County over the last 8 months. Our goal was to gather information about what life is like for people living in Franklin County by attending community events, and conducting interviews and focus groups with nearly 50 community members and service providers. In partnership with the Franklin County Health Department and our forum planning committee, we are currently planning a community forum to discuss the issues raised in these interview and focus groups. We are very pleased to invite you to attend this event! The community forum —One Community, One Voice— will take place on Tuesday, April 24th, from 5:30-8:00 p.m. (refreshments will be served starting at 5:15), at Terrell Lane Middle School in Louisburg (101 Terrell Lane, see reverse side for map). Come out and be heard as we talk about issues affecting Franklin County. Meet with citizens, service providers, and local leaders. We will discuss steps the community can take to improve quality of life in the area. The event is free and we will provide dinner, childcare, and prizes. We hope that you are able to attend the forum and we invite you to bring your co-workers, friends and family. Unfortunately we have limited space and would very much appreciate an RSVP by April 17th. In addition, if there are any accommodations needed, please let us know ahead of time so we can be sure to make arrangements. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by phone (1-866-610-8273) or by e-mail ([email protected]). Thank you for your participation and your commitment to the Franklin County community! We hope to see you soon! On behalf of the Franklin County Assessment Team and the Franklin County Forum Planning Committee, Kevin McKenna and Erica Bourget

Appendix D.f.


Appendix D.g.

Franklin County Resources TOWN MAYORS Bunn Marsha Strawbridge, Mayor Judy Jeffreys, Town Manager P.O. Box 398 Bunn, NC 27508 Phone: (919) 496-2992 Centerville Margaret Nelms, Mayor 3370 Hwy 58 Louisburg, NC 27549 Phone: (919) 853-3164 Franklinton Jenny Edwards, Mayor Mike Morton, Manager P.O. Box 309 Franklinton, NC 27525 Phone: (919) 494-2520 Louisburg Karl Pernell, Mayor C. L. Gobble, Town Administrator 110 West Nash Street Louisburg, NC 27549 Phone: (919) 496-3406 Youngsville Sam Hardwick, Mayor Brenda Robbins, Town Administrator P.O. Box 190 Youngsville, NC 27596 Phone: (919) 556-5073 COUNTY GOVERNMENT Franklin County Government http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/ County Manager Chris Coudriet 113 Market Street Louisburg, NC 27549 Phone: (919) 496-5994

County Commissioners District 1 - Louisburg Sidney E. Dunston 129 George Leonard Rd. Louisburg, NC 27549 Phone: (919) 496-7855 District 2 - Franklinton Penny McGhee-Young 421 Long Mill Road Franklinton, NC 27525 Phone: (919) 494-2999 District 3 - Epsom- Centerville Robert L. Swanson 1669 White Level Rd. Louisburg, NC 27549 Phone: (919) 853-3395 District 4 - Bunn, Pilot Bob Winters 195 Black Cloud Drive Louisburg, NC 27549 (252) 478-4717 District 5 - Youngsville Don Lancaster 75 Remington Court Youngsville, NC 27596 Phone: (919) 556-6577 District 6 - At - Large Harry L. Foy, Jr. P.O. Box 1270 Spring Hope, NC 27882 Phone: (919) 269-0299 District 7 - At - Large Lynwood D. Buffaloe 165 Bridges Farm Rd. Youngsville, NC 27596 Phone: (919) 556-2477

http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/

Appendix D.g.

STATE REPRESENTATIVES Senate Member Doug Berger 622 Legislative Office Building Raleigh, NC 27603-5925 Phone: (919) 715-8363 Email: [email protected] House of Representatives Member Lucy T. Allen 1307 Legislative Building Raleigh, NC 27601-1096 Phone: (919) 733-5860 Website: www.lucytallen.com/lta.htm ECONOMICS Economic Development Commission Ronnie Goswick, Director 112-D Wheaton Dr. Youngsville, NC 27596 Phone: (919) 554-1863 Website: http://www.franklinedc.com/ Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce 112 East Nash Street Louisburg, NC 27549 Phone: (919) 496-3056 Website: http://www.franklin-chamber.org HEALTH Franklin County Health Department 107 Industrial Drive, Suite C Louisburg, NC 27549 Phone: (919) 496-8110 http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/docs/health/index.html Franklin Regional Medical Center 100 Hospital Drive Louisburg, NC 27549 Phone: (919) 496-5131 Website: http://franklinregionalmedicalctr.com/

MENTAL HEALTH Five County Mental Health 24-hour help line: 1-877-619-3761 Website: www.fivecountymha.org RECREATION Franklin County Boys & Girls Club Phone: (919) 496-1696 Website: www.bgcfranklin.org Franklinton Senior Center 602 East Mason Street Franklinton, NC 27525 Phone: (919) 494-5611 Louisburg Senior Center 127 Shannon Village Louisburg, NC 27549 Phone: (919) 496-1131 Parks and Recreation 62 West River Road Louisburg, NC 27549 Phone: (919) 496-6624 http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/docs/parks/index.html Youth 4-H Phone: (919) 496-3344 Website: http://franklin.ces.ncsu.edu TRANSPORTATION KARTS (Kerr Area Transit Systems) 943 West Andrews Ave Henderson, NC 27536 Phone: (252) 438-2573 Email: [email protected] North Carolina Public Transportation Association PO Box 33318 Raleigh, NC 27636 Phone: (919) 259-8009 Email: [email protected]: http://www.nctransit.org/index.html

http://www.lucytallen.com/lta.htm

http://www.franklinedc.com/

http://www.franklin-chamber.org/

http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/docs/health/index.html

http://franklinregionalmedicalctr.com/

http://www.fivecountymha.org/

http://www.bgcfranklin.org/

http://www.co.franklin.nc.us/docs/parks/index.html

http://franklin.ces.ncsu.edu/



http://www.nctransit.org/index.html

Appendix D.h.

One Community, One Voice:

The Franklin County Community Forum

April 24, 2007

Please fill out the following evaluation and turn it in before you leave. Thank you for your participation.

StronglyAgree

Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree

Disagree Strongly Disagree

1. The presentation by the student team was informative.

2. The small group format was an effective way to foster dialogue, share ideas, and create action steps.

3. The report back after the small group discussions was informative.

4. I feel that this gathering has provided me with opportunities to become more involved in Franklin County.

5. I feel that my voice was represented here today.

6. I plan to participate in following up on the action steps formulated during the forum.

7. How did you hear about this event? Invitation from student team Newspaper Flyer Radio Friend/family/coworker Other

8. Have you been to a community forum before? Yes No 9. Have you been interviewed by the student team? Yes No

10. What were the best things about this forum? 11. What things could have made this forum better?

Other Comments: